Calluna vulgaris Garden Girls Zeta - Heather

Calluna vulgaris Garden Girls® 'Zeta' is a summer heather from the prolific Garden Girls series. It is part of the Sunset Girls® range, which offers selected varieties that do not flower or bud. The appeal of the plant lies in the texture and colour of its evergreen foliage. 'Zeta' is characterised by year-round green-yellow to yellow foliage. Upright and compact, it is less vigorous than 'Zelda'. Its foliage is very firm, almost a bit tough. Plant it in the sun, as it would turn green in shaded areas. It works well in rockeries, at the edge of flower beds, in a beautiful pot on a patio, or in a balcony planter.

Calluna vulgaris Garden Girls 'Zeta' belongs to the Ericaceae family. Its ancestor, the common heather, is the only species of the genus Calluna. In its natural habitat, it is the dominant vegetation of barren heathlands in the cold regions of the United Kingdom and Northern Europe. 'Zeta' is an evergreen shrub that forms a small, bushy plant with a broad and upright habit, reaching about 50cm (20in) in height and 60cm (24in) in width after 5 years of cultivation. The 'Sunset Girls' range proves that foliage itself is worthy of interest and provides a permanent and essential structure to surrounding plants.

The Garden Girls 'Zeta' summer heather can be planted in any acidic, moist to dry soil, in full sun. It tolerates periods of heat and summer drought well. It brings elegance to wild areas of the garden as well as to low-maintenance or weekend gardens. Stunning when planted en masse with other species and varieties, it pairs nicely with dwarf asters in autumn and small grasses, in rockeries, on slopes, or in informal borders. In an ericaceous bed, it can be planted at the base of witch hazels, pieris, or Skimmia japonica. Plant it in pots and containers on a patio or balcony to create autumnal floral compositions with small perennials and bulbs. Mixed in pots with more ephemeral plants, it ensures that the composition maintains structure and interest between two flowering periods.

Calluna vulgaris can withstand moderate grazing. It represents an important source of food for sheep and deer when snow covers the vegetation. It is capable of regenerating after a fire. In the past, this plant was considered magical and used in white magic rituals; it was attributed protective powers, as in the Breton heaths, where it is said to ward off ghostly spirits. Calluna is also an ingredient of gruit, an aromatic composition used in brewing beer before the use of hops in the Middle Ages. Its flowering tops have been used in herbal medicine for a very long time, as they are reputed to "dissolve stones in the bladder".