Erica vagans f. aureifolia Yellow John - Heath

Erica vagans 'Yellow John' is a vigorous and particularly bright variety of heather with its vivid yellow foliage and white flowering with mauve reflections that lasts until October. It is a subshrub that is dense and decorative even outside of flowering: its sunny foliage takes on beautiful golden tones in winter. Plant it in a large border, in a rockery or in a pot, in full sun to enhance its colors.

Erica vagans 'Yellow John' was discovered in the Netherlands by Jan Dekker in 1982 and introduced into horticultural trade in 1986 by PG Zwijnenburg (Boskoop, Netherlands). Like all heathers, this variety belongs to the family of Ericaceae. The botanical species Erica vagans, also known as Cornish heath or wandering heath, is present in Western Europe, from Portugal to England. It is a plant of heathlands and light woodlands that only grows on acidic and well-drained soils, preferably sandy and poor. It is very hardy and grows up to 1600m (5249ft) above sea level in France.

The 'Yellow John' heather forms a small dense bush, with a friendly and tousled cushion-like appearance. Ultimately, the plant measures about 45cm (18in) in height and 50cm (20in) in spread. Its branches are somewhat twisted, upright at the ends, well-branched, covered with very small linear leaves (8 to 10mm (1in)), like non-prickly needles. This heather blooms from August to October. Its small bell-shaped flowers, measuring 3mm (1in) in length, are whorled, grouped in small compact, elongated clusters, often terminating in leaves. They are highly visited by bees. They are white when they open and then turn very pale pinkish mauve over time. The stamens that protrude from the corolla are dark red. The foliage, evergreen in winter, evolves from light yellow to golden yellow in summer and becomes more bronze in autumn and winter.

The 'Yellow John' wandering heath should be planted in an acidic soil pocket, between rocks in a rockery, but also along the edge of a raised bed or along a path, always in light, non-calcareous soil. It thrives in the sun, in the company of other heathers with concurrent or staggered flowering: Erica carnea 'Isabell', E. darleyensis 'Kramer's Rot', Calluna vulgaris 'Winter Chocolate', for example. To add a touch of whimsy to the scene, they can be associated with some low grasses that will lighten their mass. Heathers form beautiful carpets at the base of larger ericaceous shrubs: mountain laurels, brooms, Chinese azaleas, etc.

While heathers, especially those of the genus Erica, are associated with the humid Atlantic moors of the oceanic northern facade (Brittany, Ireland, Scotland), there are also heathers that grow in dry and limestone areas, such as those in the Mediterranean region. However, one of the richest areas in heather is located far away, in South Africa. In the Cape region, there is a plant formation on acidic soil, equivalent to our Mediterranean scrub vegetation, the Fynbos, which includes nearly 625 heather species out of the 740 recorded worldwide.