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Erica carnea 'Snow Queen'
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Dispatch by letter from 3,90 €.
Delivery charge from 5,90 € Oversize package delivery charge from 6,90 €.
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This plant carries a 24 months recovery warranty
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We guarantee the quality of our plants for a full growing cycle, and will replace at our expense any plant that fails to recover under normal climatic and planting conditions.
From 5,90 € for pickup delivery and 6,90 € for home delivery
Express home delivery from 8,90 €.
From 5,90 € for pickup delivery and 6,90 € for home delivery
Express home delivery from 8,90 €.
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Erica carnea 'Snow Queen' is a variety of Alpine Heather that stands out for its long and intense winter and spring white flowering, as well as its ability to cover or garnish the ground. Standing about twenty centimetres tall, it spreads to form a dense cushion, with evergreen foliage all year round. From December to May, it is covered in a multitude of small white bells that bring colour to a period when the garden can sometimes be a bit dull. Cultivated in pots or planters, it enriches a balcony, terrace, or window ledge with its refined flowers, and can even be used as a centerpiece for festive tables. This alpine heather is very hardy and robust, capable of withstanding cold, pollution, and sea spray, on poor, rocky, and even slightly chalky soils. Easy to maintain and requiring little care, it is accessible to all gardening enthusiasts.
Erica carnea 'Snow Queen' belongs to the family of Ericaceae. This heather, with its winter and spring flowering, is also known as snow heather or Alpine heather, due to its mountainous origins in central Europe (France, Austria, Germany, Switzerland) and southern Europe (Slovenia, Albania, Croatia, Macedonia, and Serbia). With healthy and robust vegetation, it forms a small evergreen shrub with a spreading habit, reaching about 0.15m (0ft) to 0.25m (1ft) in height and 0.40m (1ft) to 0.50m (2ft) in spread at maturity. It grows slowly and has a lifespan of no more than 12 to 15 years. On thin and twisted branches, small needles grow, measuring 5 to 7mm (0in) in length, arranged in whorls of 4, with a furrow underneath. The young shoots are a lovely light green in spring, turning dark green in summer, and eventually taking on bronze hues in autumn. This cultivar usually blooms between November and April depending on the climate, for several weeks. Its small bell-shaped white flowers, measuring 5 to 6mm (0.25in) in length, are clustered in 3 to 10cm (1 to 4in) long spikes and are scattered along the branches. The flower consists of a corolla in the shape of an urn or bell with 4 small lobes and 8 free stamens. The purple anthers protrude, giving the flowers an elegant appearance. They are highly attractive to bees.
The 'Snow Queen' heather has all the features one would expect from a heather. Long and remarkable flowering combined with ever-evolving evergreen foliage throughout the seasons. Its low, dense, and compact growth allows it to be used in ground cover beds, as borders for shrub beds, on slopes or rockeries, to dress the base of trees and large shrubs. It thrives in full sun but also tolerates partial shade very well. It can easily be planted alongside other heathers whose flowering will take over, while having a similar growth habit, such as Erica x darleyensis or Erica vagans. Its long winter flowering brightens up a period when the sun is often lacking.
Hardy down to -25°C (-13°F), the 'Snow Queen' heather is a small, sturdy, and robust shrub. Easy to grow, it adapts to all types of soil, including slightly chalky soil. In any case, well-drained soil without stagnant moisture is necessary. It does not tolerate long periods of drought well and appreciates moist soil. Mulching is a solution to maintain relative soil moisture. Almost maintenance-free, this heather only requires light pruning after flowering, in April. This will remove faded flowers and promote fresh foliage. It is ideal for winter heather beds, to enrich the colour palette, alongside other varieties, such as 'Jenny Porter', a bright pale pink, or 'Rosalie', a vibrant carmine pink. It also adds whimsy and cheerfulness to low-growing grass beds such as Carex, Ophiopogon, Molinia, Uncinia, Hakonechloa, Pennisetum... It can also be mixed in a bed with dwarf creeping conifers (Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star', Juniperus horizontalis 'Blue Chip', Juniperus communis ‘Repanda’...), or ground cover plants such as silver basket or wall bellflower (Campanula portenschlagiana for example). It also occupies the front of beds, animating them throughout the year, especially in winter. Cultivated in pots or planters, it enhances a balcony, terrace, or patio with its intense flowering. For even more effect, it can be accompanied by Skimmias or creeping wintergreen Gaultheria (Gaultheria procumbens).
Plant habit
Flowering
Foliage
Botanical data
Erica carnea 'Snow Queen' enjoys full sun, which enhances its flowering, but also tolerates partial shade. It can grow in any type of soil, even clayey or slightly chalky, as long as it is well-drained and deeply loosened. Once established, it can withstand anything, but its planting must be careful and watering should be maintained during the first two years: if the root ball dries out while the root system is still underdeveloped, the plant will die. Conversely, waterlogged soil, especially in hot weather, can promote the development of a fungus called Phytophthora which, once established, will overcome this heather.
During planting, it is advisable to lacerate the root ball a little, trim any long roots, and plant in a hole measuring 30x30cm (12in), filled with a mixture of peat, heather soil, and garden soil. Water it once or twice a week depending on the ambient temperature to keep the soil moist while the plant establishes itself. To maintain a compact habit and increase the lifespan of the heather, it is useful, every year after flowering, to cut back the faded branches to 2-5cm (1-2in) from the previous year's growth, making sure not to prune below the last green leaves. Erica can also be susceptible to pythium and rhizoctonia during hot and humid periods. Fertilizer is not necessary, in fact, it is not recommended to avoid promoting foliage production at the expense of flowering (heathers are generally plants of poor soils).
Planting period
Intended location
Care
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Hardiness is the lowest winter temperature a plant can endure without suffering serious damage or even dying. However, hardiness is affected by location (a sheltered area, such as a patio), protection (winter cover) and soil type (hardiness is improved by well-drained soil).
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The flowering period indicated on our website applies to countries and regions located in USDA zone 8 (France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, etc.)
It will vary according to where you live:
In temperate climates, pruning of spring-flowering shrubs (forsythia, spireas, etc.) should be done just after flowering.
Pruning of summer-flowering shrubs (Indian Lilac, Perovskia, etc.) can be done in winter or spring.
In cold regions as well as with frost-sensitive plants, avoid pruning too early when severe frosts may still occur.
The planting period indicated on our website applies to countries and regions located in USDA zone 8 (France, United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands).
It will vary according to where you live:
The harvesting period indicated on our website applies to countries and regions in USDA zone 8 (France, England, Ireland, the Netherlands).
In colder areas (Scandinavia, Poland, Austria...) fruit and vegetable harvests are likely to be delayed by 3-4 weeks.
In warmer areas (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), harvesting will probably take place earlier, depending on weather conditions.
The sowing periods indicated on our website apply to countries and regions within USDA Zone 8 (France, UK, Ireland, Netherlands).
In colder areas (Scandinavia, Poland, Austria...), delay any outdoor sowing by 3-4 weeks, or sow under glass.
In warmer climes (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), bring outdoor sowing forward by a few weeks.