Erica carnea : corolla pure white (f. alba)

White flowers; I–III; flowers large, held well above foliage, in compact spikes; mid-green foliage; compact; height 10–15cm; spread 21–25cm.

Possible seedling; introduced by Maxwell & Beale (Broadstone, Dorset, England) about 1927 (‘in the possession of the Dorset Nursery, of Broadstone.’*)

Named after the sister of H. E. Beale.

White flowers; II–IV, in long, erect spikes; bright green foliage; erect; height 10–15cm; spread 31–45cm.

Selected seedling from the deliberate cross between ‘Springwood White‘ and ‘Snow Queen‘ made by Kurt Kramer (Edewecht, Germany), differs from ‘Isabell‘ in its slightly smaller corolla, much smaller than ‘Schneekuppe‘; named and introduced by the British Heather Growers Association in 1993.

Name is an allusion to its parentage.

Registered 19 February 1993: David Small, Creeting St Mary, UK.

II–IV, abundant; bright green foliage; erect but spreading habit; height 10–15cm; spread 31–45cm. Another selected seedling from the deliberate cross between ‘Springwood White‘ and ‘Snow Queen’ made by Kurt Kramer (Edewecht, Germany).

White flowers; I–III; bright green foliage; neat compact habit; height 10–15cm; spread 26–30cm. Considered to the the best white-flowered winter heath when it reaches 5 years old.

Another selected seedling from the deliberate cross between ‘Springwood White‘ and ‘Snow Queen‘ made by Kurt Kramer (Edewecht, Germany), and a distinct improvement on ‘Springwood White‘

Name alludes to the flower colour.

II–IV; bright green foliage; neat compact habit; height 10–15cm; spread 31–45cm. Another selected seedling from the deliberate cross between ‘Springwood White‘ and ‘Snow Queen‘ made by Kurt Kramer (Edewecht, Germany).

Large pure white flowers; XII–V; mid-green foliage; neat, compact habit; height 10–15cm; spread 21–25cm.

Seedling found by C. Verboom (Boskoop, Netherlands), and introduced by Verboom in 1934.

Flowers variously malformed, in unevenly spaced, loose spike; axillary clusters of 1–3 relatively large flowers widely spaced; corolla white c. 6mm long, apex splitting unevenly (often not into 4 lobes); calyx lobes 4 (rarely 5), white, petal-like, to 5mm long, c. 1–1.5mm wide, exceeding the corolla especially before anthesis; stamens 8 (rarely 9–11), often malformed and contorted; anthers tan; style may be malformed and contorted, or straight; ovary green: I-V; foliage mid-green throughout the year, leaves relatively broad, c. 10mm × c. 2mm, whorls widely spaced; habit bushy, low-growing heather; to 20cm tall, to 35 cm across (not pruned) in 3 years.

Seedling found at Forest Edge Nursery by David Edge, in 2014.

® E.2016:05 Registered on 5th December 2016 by David Edge, Forest Edge Nurseries, Wimborne, Dorset.

Abundant white flowers; XII–V; foliage bright green; vigorous, trailing habit; height 10–15cm; spread 31–45cm.

For decades this was the outstanding white-flowered Erica carnea but is superseded by some of the deliberately raised cultivars. Still ideal for hanging baskets.

Wild-collected; found on Monte Correggio, northern Italy, by Mrs Anna Walker (1866–1948) (Springwood, Stirling, Scotland; her gardener who propagated the plant was Robert Howieson Syme (1873–1946)) before 1925; named by F. J. Chittenden (Director, Royal Horticultural Society’s Gardens, Wisley) in 1925. Mrs Walker’s account of the discovery is in My garden 2: 105-106 (May 1934); on Syme see My garden 32: 625, 627 (June 1946).

see Heathers 4: 34–35. 2007.

Originally named ‘Springwood’, after Mrs Walker’s house in Stirling, Scotland; white was added when the plant received an AM in 1930.

Flowers pure white; foliage light green; habit erect but spreading; height 15-20 cm; spread 25-30 cm after two years.

Seedling from crosses, selected by Kurt Kramer.

I–III; bright green foliage; upright compact habit; height 10–15cm; spread 26–30cm.

A selected seedling from the deliberate cross between ‘Springwood White‘ and ‘Snow Queen‘ made by John Hall (Windlesham Court Nurseries, Windlesham, Surrey) in 1986.

A made-up name, comprising white (flowers) and (John) Hall.

II–V, abundant; bright green foliage; height 10–15cm; spread 31–45cm. Another selected seedling from the deliberate cross between ‘Springwood White‘ and ‘Snow Queen‘ made by Kurt Kramer (Edewecht, Germany), but named and introduced by the British Heather Growers Association. It flowers a little later than ‘Isabell‘ and ‘Ice Princess‘. Registered 19 February 1993: David Small, Creeting St Mary, UK.