Winter Heather collection - Erica

This is a collection of 3 winter heathers chosen from the best varieties at an attractive price. Erica x darleyensis 'Kramer's Rote', appreciated for its vivacity and long-lasting flowering, 'Erica carnea 'Springwood White' with its award-winning white flowers in England, and the vigorous Erica carnea 'December Red', which is covered in brilliant flowers in December. Their flowering will overlap and succeed each other from late autumn to early spring. You can plant these small evergreen shrubs in rockeries, on slopes, in raised borders, or even in pots on the terrace. They will thrive in any well-drained soil, even slightly chalky and fairly dry.

These heathers are characterised by a low and wide habit, bushy, evergreen foliage in needles and a nectar-rich flowering that renews itself for several weeks between November and April.

The collection consists of:

1 Erica x darleyensis 'Kramer's Rote': a variety reaching approximately 35 cm high and 45 cm wide, flowering between October and April depending on the climate, with small urn-shaped flowers in a very bright dark pink with brown stamens. Its dark green foliage turns bronze in the cold.

1 Erica carnea 'Springwood White': a shorter variety, reaching 25-30 cm high and 40 cm wide. Abundant white flowering between December and April on a bright green foliage.

1 Erica carnea 'December Red': its dimensions are comparable to those of 'Springwood White'. It also flowers abundantly between December and April, depending on the climate. Its flowers change from bright carmine-pink to purple. Its foliage is dark green.

The heathers in this collection are hardy and undemanding in terms of soil, easy to grow in the sun in any well-drained soil without excessive chalk. Once well established, they can withstand anything after careful planting, and watering for the first two years. During planting, we recommend loosening the root ball a little, cutting any long roots, and planting in a hole measuring 30 x 30 cm, filled with a mixture of organic matter, ericaceous soil, and garden soil. Allow for 4 plants per m².

This collection forms the basis of a heather bed or a large border, mixed with other varieties to stagger the flowerings. These evergreen shrubs make excellent ground cover, either alone or planted among dwarf creeping conifers such as Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star', Juniperus horizontalis 'Blue Chip', or Juniperus repanda.