Erica vagans 'White Rocket'

Erica vagans 'White Rocket' is a variety of wandering heather that forms a bushy, dense and compact clump, with foliage that is a beautiful dark green all year round. Sparkling and generous, it produces a magnificent flowering in the form of long white spikes from August to October. Once planted in large numbers, it creates a colourful carpet that covers the ground and, when cleverly combined with other plants of the same size and requirements, it can enhance a heathland rockery or border. Not demanding in terms of soil type and exposure, it requires little maintenance. It is therefore within the reach of all gardeners and can easily find a place in any garden.

Erica vagans belongs to the Ericaceae family, like all heathers, as well as strawberry trees, heath, azaleas, and blueberries. This heather, which blooms in late summer, is also known as wandering heather or Cornish heather or even traveling heather. It is found in Western Europe from Portugal to England. In its natural habitat, Erica vagans thrives in heathland areas (acidic, poor, and siliceous soils) and on mountain slopes. The cultivar 'White Rocket' was introduced by Treseder & Son (Truro, Cornwall) in 1965, following its discovery in the wild in the Goonhilly Downs region of Cornwall, in the southwest of England. Its name, translated into French (White Rocket), alludes to the colour and shape of the flower. With its healthy and robust growth, it forms a small evergreen spreading bush that reaches a height of about 0.50 to 0.60 metres (2 feet) and a spread of 0.60 to 0.80 metres (2 to 3 feet) at maturity. It grows slowly and its lifespan does not exceed 12 to 15 years. On thin and twisted branches, small needles, 7 to 10mm (0in) long, grow in whorls of 4 or 5, with a furrow underneath. The spring shoots are a lovely light green, and the foliage remains a rich green colour throughout the year. This cultivar usually blooms between August and October depending on the climate, for several weeks. Its small pure white bell-shaped flowers, measuring 5 to 6mm (0.25in) in length, are clustered in spikes 5 to 10cm (2 to 4in) long and are scattered along the branches. The flower has a corolla shaped like an urn or bell with 4 small lobes and 8 free stamens. The purple anthers protrude, giving the flowers an elegant appearance. They are very attractive to bees.

The 'White Rocket' wandering heather possesses all the qualities one expects from a heather: a long and remarkable flowering period combined with evergreen foliage. It retains its ability to adapt to poor soils subjected to harsh climatic conditions (cold, wind, heatwaves, etc.) from its mountainous origins. Its bushy, dense, and compact growth allows it to be used as ground cover in flower beds, as borders for shrub beds, for terracing or rockeries, and for dressing the base of trees and large shrubs. It is also suitable for pot or container cultivation on a balcony, terrace, or window sill, where it will add colour and cheerfulness. It prefers full sun but tolerates partial shade well.

Hardy down to -20°C (-4°F), the White Rocket wandering heather is a sturdy and robust small shrub. It prefers acidic to neutral soil, but it can tolerate slightly alkaline soil. In any case, well-drained soil without stagnant moisture is essential. It does not tolerate long periods of drought well and appreciates moist soil. Mulching is a solution to maintain relative soil moisture. Virtually maintenance-free, this heather only requires light pruning after flowering, in October-November. It can easily be planted alongside other heathers whose flowering will take over, while having similar growth and development, such as Erica x darleyensis, Erica carnea, or Calluna vulgaris. Its long late summer flowering brightens up shady areas with its vibrant colours. It adds whimsy and cheerfulness to low-growing grassy flower beds, such as sedge, mondo grass, moor grass, fescue grass, and fountain grass. It can also be mixed in a low and shady flower bed with heath, bearberry, Pachysandra, or Lithodora fruticosa. In acidic soil, heathers form beautiful carpets at the base of larger shrubs, dressing them up, such as mountain laurel, rhododendrons, camellias, deciduous azaleas, and heath. When grown in pots or containers, it enriches balconies, terraces, or patios with its intense flowering.