Calluna vulgaris Rasta Girls Rote Janina - Heather

Calluna vulgari 'Rote Janina' is a variety of summer heather from the 'Rasta Girls' series, characterised by a trailing habit and closed bud flowering. Its foliage consists of dark green needles and remains evergreen. In September and October, 'Rote Janina' is covered in intense purple-red buds. Since they do not open, they withstand adverse weather conditions well and remain decorative for a long time. Instead of being upright, the stems are trailing. This heather is therefore suitable for hanging baskets or containers. In the garden, it behaves like a creeping plant, beautifully covering the stones in a rockery.

Calluna vulgaris is the only species of the genus Calluna belonging to the Ericaceae family. In its natural habitat, it is the dominant vegetation of heathlands in the cold regions of the United Kingdom and Northern Europe. 'Rote Janina' is an evergreen shrub that forms small, bushy, slightly tousled, spreading and trailing plants, measuring 40cm (16in) in height and width at maturity. Its growth is relatively slow. Decorative throughout the year, it displays a beautiful and long-lasting autumn flowering with densely grouped floral buds on compact and flexible spikes. Its foliage is evergreen and scale-like, resembling that of a small conifer.

Calluna 'Rote Janina' is an original heather that thrives in any acidic, moist to dry soil, in full sun or partial shade. It looks magnificent when planted en masse with other species and varieties, and it pairs well with dwarf asters and small grasses in rockeries, on banks, or in informal borders, where its flexible stems weave through the plants. In an ericaceous bed, it can be planted at the base of witch hazels, pieris, or Skimmia japonica. On a patio or balcony, it can be planted in hanging baskets and pots, gracefully cascading for autumnal floral compositions with small perennials and bulbs.

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".