Erica x darleyensis Marie Helen - Winter Heath

Erica x darleyensis 'Marie Helen' is a variety of winter heather with beautiful evergreen foliage that is golden yellow in summer and turns bronze in winter. In January, its flowering begins with small urn-shaped flowers in a medium pink color, which lasts until April. It has moderate vigor and a compact habit. It forms a spreading cushion with gentle flowering and bright foliage before the first late winter bulbs and the return of spring blooms. By combining different varieties with staggered flowering times, Darley heathers create beautiful colourful carpets from November to May.

Erica x darleyensis 'Marie Helen' is a horticultural hybrid resulting from the cross-breeding between Erica carnea, native to mountainous areas in southern and central Europe, thriving in limestone soil, and Erica erigena, acidophilous, native to western Europe. This hybrid combines vigorous growth, beautifully coloured young foliage, and abundant and prolonged flowering. This small evergreen shrub, with a rounded and spreading habit, will reach approximately 30 to 40 cm in height and 50 to 60 cm (20 to 24in) in width at maturity, with a relatively slow growth rate. Its lifespan is around 10 to 15 years. 'Marie Helen' usually blooms between January and April, depending on the climate, for several weeks. Its flowers are small urn-shaped flowers in a medium pink colour. These 3mm (0.1in) long flowers are clustered in 3 to 10 cm (1 to 4in) long clusters and are scattered along the branches, amidst linear, obtuse leaves that are 3 to 10 mm (0.1in) long and arranged oppositely.

Winter heathers are hardy and adaptable to soil types, forming sturdy undershrubs, even in slightly limestone and dry soil. They are perfectly showcased in heather gardens, alongside other species and varieties with varied foliage and flower colours, such as Calluna vulgaris and Erica arborea. As evergreen groundcover, they can be planted at the front of borders or in mass plantings. Combine them with dwarf conifers and creeping junipers for beautiful combinations of textures and colours, as well as spring bulbs.