Heaths and Heathers
at Digging Dog
Includes Calluna vulgaris (Heather) Flamingo, Kerstin, Martha Herman, Roland Haagen; & Erica (Heath) King George, Springwood Pink, C. D. Eason, Furzey, Kramer’s Red, W. T. Rackliff
Heaths (Erica) and Heathers
(Calluna) are best en masse. Drifts of their varied forms and flower
and foliage colors blend beautifully. They’re also fine companions for Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Pieris and other acid-loving plants in the evergreen
shrubbery. The timid might try adding a few winter bloomers to the herb or perennial border for year-round interest. But be forewarned—to
plant one is to want them all!
Requiring good drainage and poor, acidic soil, the Heaths and Heathers are ideal for the coastal garden. Some will perform well inland, preferring light shade, but they’re sensitive to extremes of heat and cold. Wind and salt spray are tolerated as long as the plants are away from the front lines. Prune annually, with a shearing after the blooms are spent.
Calluna
Heather
Callunas’ tiny, scalelike leaves range from deepest green to silver, gold and bronze, with some changing color after a frost. Flowering from mid-to-late summer in cool whites, pinks and purples, the small, bell-shaped flowers are frozen in graceful repose on one-sided spikes. Heathers are marvelous fresh or dried. Calluna vulgaris ‘Corbett’s Red’ 
Named for the Oregon nursery where it originated, this reliable American cultivar offers striking crimson flowers that nearly obscure its low mound of handsome greenery. ‘Corbett’s Red’ is a compact, spreading Heather whose richly hued blooms can be partnered with Spiraea ‘Magic Carpet’.
Blooms August–September. Size: 12" high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 4. Calluna vulgaris Corbett’s Red (s-0601)
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Calluna vulgaris ‘County Wicklow’
During a visit to Ireland’s Wicklow mountains, Miss Meta Archer first spotted a handsome, low growing medium green heather that seemed worthy of introduction way back in 1925. ‘County Wicklow’ has survived the test of time; It’s renowned for both its beauty and vigor, and acclaimed by the American Garden Society as “one of the finest double pink cultivars.”
A parent to ‘Kinlochruel’, this compact Heather offsets summer’s heat with a verdant bushy base and composed, six in. tall, shell pink racemes.
Blooms July–September. Size: 10"–12" high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 4. Calluna vulgaris County Wicklow (S-0626)
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Email me when this plant is available Calluna vulgaris ‘Dark Beauty’
With full bodied colors similar to a fine Pinot Noir, this enticing beauty queen flaunts the darkest hued flower of all Callunas. Deep red buds reveal showy and plentiful, semi-double dark cherry blooms that shade to ruby amid a good-looking, compact darkly green silhouette. Earning Holland’s prestigious Gold Medal award, ‘Dark Beauty’ will beckon you to her side whether she’s poised in the rockery, along a pathway or in a container.
Blooms August–October. Size: 8"–10" high x 14"–16" wide; hardy to zone 4. Calluna vulgaris Dark Beauty (s-0654)
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Email me when this plant is available Calluna vulgaris ‘Firefly’
Renowned for entertaining the richest, most vibrant brick-red foliage, ‘Firefly’ never fails to snap us out of a gray, winter-day funk. Splendid warm shades ranging from salmon to terracotta imbue the foliage the rest of the year, while deep mauve flowers festoon its upright, compact frame in late summer.
Awarded Britain’s coveted AGM award, this vividly colored heather merits a choice niche in your garden.
Blooms August–September. Size: 18"–20" high x 0" wide; hardy to zone 4. Calluna vulgaris Firefly (S-0653)
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Calluna vulgaris ‘Martha Herman’
Forming a dense low mat of showy bright green foliage, ‘Martha Herman’ is outstanding as a foil or accent with other Heathers and Heaths. Snow white flowers and horizontal spread are the icing on the cake. A real find!
Blooms July–August. Size: 12" high x 2-1/2' wide; hardy to zone 4. Calluna vulgaris Martha Herman (S-0009)
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Calluna vulgaris ‘October White’
Offering a clean and classic look out in the garden, this Calluna’s frosty white spires are highly valued by florists inside as well. Later to flower than most Heathers, the elegant fall blooms are showcased against handsome deep green foliage on upright branches. Counterpose its pert stance with
Acaena saccaticupula’s low-lying, silvery blue leaves.
Blooms September–October. Size: 16" high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 4. Calluna vulgaris October White (S-0576)
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Email me when this plant is available Calluna vulgaris ‘Robert Chapman’
Bedizened with golden foliage in spring that bronzes during the warmer months, asserts orange highlights in fall and for a Christmas time display radiates red tinges, ‘Robert Chapman’ is a year-round carousel of color. His glowing dense habit supports stiff stems arranged at varied heights and come summer, abundant soft lavender-pink blooms.
J. W. Sparkes just might have been contemplating this celebrated heather’s zealous display when he named it after his friend, Charlie Chapman’s hard working son.
Blooms August–September. Size: 18" high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 4. AVAILABLE JUNE 2008 Calluna vulgaris Robert Chapman (S-0627)
Each $6.00
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Calluna vulgaris ‘Sister Anne’
Bursting with lush growth in spring, ‘Sister Anne’s gray-green foliage contrasts nicely with its shell pink flowers. A winter chill will add a hint of purple to the foliage. This Heather is a dense mounding ground cover for lining walks or filling rocky nooks.
Blooms July–September. Size: 6" high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 4. AVAILABLE MAY 2008 Calluna vulgaris Sister Anne (S-0011)
Each $6.00
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Calluna vulgaris ‘Spring Torch’
New foliage growth blazes orange-yellow, maturing to deep green, with medium pink flower spikes on a loosely mounding form.
Blooms July–August. Size: 20" high x 2-1/2' wide; hardy to zone 4. Calluna vulgaris Spring Torch (S-0013)
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Calluna vulgaris ‘Wickwar Flame’
With so many upright and horizontal stems, this Heather has an especially wild appearance in its youth. When it matures, however, it develops into a dense, tight mound of unusual foliage: burnt orange-yellow on the upper half and lime-green below, where it is protected from the sun.
During the winter months the color intensifies, making the shrub appear almost as though it’s on fire. During the summer, the color spectrum is extended with lavender- pink flowers blooming along the upper portion of the stems.
Blooms late July–August. Size: 15" high x 2-1/2' wide; hardy to zone 4. Calluna vulgaris Wickwar Flame (s-0177)
Each $6.00
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Calluna vulgaris ‘Winter Chocolate’
A delightful melding of warm colors, ‘Winter Chocolate’ is a year-round standout in our Heather garden. Radiantly cloaked with chartreuse, chocolate and golden hues for winter, spring's new growth brings creamy salmon red tips. As the days grow longer, the foliage coloring broadens to a pleasing range of oranges, pinks and yellows, toned by bright greens. As if this isn’t enough, soft lavender blossoms just about smother the plant in late summer.
Blooms August–October. Size: 12"–20" high x 18"–2' wide; hardy to zone 4. Calluna vulgaris Winter Chocolate (S-0470)
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Erica
Heath
Heaths have fine, short, needlelike evergreen leaves that vary from deep green to silver, gold, or chartreuse. Tiny, urn-shaped flowers sparkle like hoarfrost, in shades from white to pinks and rosy purples. Though most floriferous in winter and early spring, (and highly welcome at that dreary time!), a scheme for year-round color can be developed by combining with Callunas. Erica carnea ‘Ann Sparkes’
A beacon of dazzling color, the low-to-the-ground mat is cloaked in distinctive needlelike foliage set aglow with gilded yellow hues and bronzy red tips. Resulting as a sport from ‘Vivellii’ and named by J. W. Sparkes in 1955 for his sister-in-law, this lambent beauty is further heightened when her carmine-red racemes unfurl, cheering up a drab winter landscape.
Blooms February–March. Size: 6"–9" high x 12"–15" wide; hardy to zone 4. Erica carnea Ann Sparkes (S-0637)
Each $6.00
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Erica carnea ‘Golden Starlet’
This shining starlet guarantees a year-round performance. Bred by Germany’s Kurt Kramer, ‘Golden Starlet’ is favored for its bright golden foliage, snowy white blooms and tidy, low spreading habit. During the summer months, the leaves attain a glowing yellow hue, while
cooler weather brings lime-green accents and splendid flowers that last all winter.
Blooms December–March. Size: 6" high x 16" wide; hardy to zone 5. Erica carnea Golden Starlet (S-0457)
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Erica carnea ‘King George’
Deemed one of the loveliest and most decorative Heaths, this highly touted Erica displays bright rosy red flowers on a tidy, compact mound of Yew green foliage. Be sure to reserve a prominent spot for ‘King George’s abundant blooms, so you can easily relish them during winters’ gray days.
Blooms December–March. Size: 6"–9" high x 18"–2' wide; hardy to zone 5. Erica carnea King George (S-0214)
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Erica carnea ‘Myretoun Ruby’
Donning the name of a castle in Wigton, Scotland, ‘Myretoun Ruby’s low spreading, Yew-green needles and deep reddish purple blooms achieve a gemlike opulence. Perhaps the darkest red flowering carnea cultivar in cultivation, this Erica’s saturated blossoms age with
bright crimson highlights. Nestle amid Ajuga ‘Emerald Chip’, and relish the wintertime splendor.
Blooms December–March. Size: 10"–12" high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 5. Erica carnea Myretoun Ruby (S-0175)
Each $6.00
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Erica carnea ‘Pink Spangles’
Distinguished by large, two-toned blooms and a robust yet gracious form, ‘Pink Spangles’ paints the winter landscape with a truly dynamic floral display. Shell pink sepals and rosier pink petals that open from lime-colored buds ornament this superb ground cover’s medium green, spreading foliage.
Blooms January–March. Size: 9"–12" high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 5. AVAILABLE MAY 2008 Erica carnea Pink Spangles (S-0213)
Each $6.00
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Erica carnea ‘Springwood White’
Creamy buds open into white flowers on this old favorite in the trade. A vigorous ground cover, it can handle inland heat and tough conditions. ‘Martha Herman’ is its best mate.
Blooms October–January. Size: 10" high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 5. Erica carnea Springwood White (S-0016)
Each $6.00
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Erica cinerea ‘Purple Beauty’
Twisted Heath
It was a British couple, Mr. and Mrs. Letts, whose keen eyes first noted this summer flowering beauty in the wilds of Cornwall and later introduced it. Ample-sized, more than abundant and long blooming, the luminous amethyst flowers sparkle like gems upon ‘Purple Beauty’s vigorous, low growing habit that makes an exquisite, dark green bushy ground cover.
Blooms June–October. Size: 12" high x 22" wide; hardy to zone 5. Erica cinerea Purple Beauty (S-0471)
Each $6.00
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Erica vagans ‘Mrs. D. F. Maxwell’
Applauded throughout the world as one of the most cherished heaths, this Erica’s deep cherry-red blooms have as much charm as the story behind them. Mrs. Maxwell’s discerning eye first spotted its good-looking, robust form while on her honeymoon in Cornwall, England and promptly sent home cuttings! Elevated above a low, deep green bush, the long, upright racemes of cylindrically arranged, irresistible blooms open from the bottom up and when spent, persist through the winter burnished in russet-brown hues.
Blooms July–September. Size: 18"–2' high x 2'–2-1/2' wide; hardy to zone 5. Erica vagans Mrs. D. F. Maxwell (S-0607)
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Erica x darleyensis ‘Furzey’
Deep magenta flowers decorate this durable evergreen when most plants are dormant. It’s happiest in full sun and interesting with Hebe ‘New Zealand Gold’. Some experts believe ‘Furzey’ has the best flower color among Ericas.
Blooms October–January. Size: 12" high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 5. Erica x darleyensis Furzey (S-0018)
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Erica x darleyensis ‘Kramer’s Red’
Unparalleled among red flowering Ericas, this ornate Heath takes its name from Kurt Kramer of Germany. Stiff branches hold darkly green foliage, enhanced in winter by bronze highlights and closely set chartreuse buds that open into cerise-magenta blooms.
Blooms November–January. Size: 15" high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 5. Erica x darleyensis Kramer’s Red (S-0564)
Each $6.00
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