White flowers, with deep pink buds; height 61–75cm; spread 31–45cm.
A seedling from Sheffield Park (Sussex) introduced by Liss Forest Nursery by June 1996.
Named after the garden where it was found.
Heathers
‘Ashlea Gold’
Pale pink flowers, VII-X; deep gold foliage throughout the year; compact; height 31-45cm; spread 46-60cm. Less floriferous than ‘Valerie Griffiths‘ but has a much stronger foliage colour.
Seedling selected from progeny of Erica manipuliflora ‘Aldeburgh’ deliberately crossed with Erica vagans ‘Valerie Proudley’; raised by Dr John Griffiths (Garforth, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England) in 1983.
Named from Ashlea Close, the Griffiths’ address, and gold referring to the foliage colour.
‘Elegant Spike’
Pale rose-pink flowers, VII-X, in long spikes; mid-green foliage; vigorous, upright; height 46-60cm; spread 61-75cm.
Seedling; raised before 1964 at Boskoop, Netherlands, by P. G. Zwijnenburg from seed of E. manipuliflora received from an un-named botanical garden; introduced by P. G. Zwijnenburg in 1975.
Name alludes to the habit.
‘Heaven Scent’
Lilac-pink (H11), scented flowers, VII-XII, in long sprays; dark greyish green foliage; vigorous, upright; height 75-100cm; spread 46-60cm.
Introduced by Maxwell & Beale (Corfe Mullen, Dorset, England) in 1951, as E. verticillata; originally sent to the nursery from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, on 16 March 1949. Identified subsequently as a hybrid, after it was given the cultivar name by Mrs C. Turpin (West Clandon, Surrey) in 1990.
Synonyms include E. anthura ‘Heaven Scent’; ‘Major Turpin’s Form’; ‘Maxwell’s Form’.
Name is a pun on the scent of the plant, suggested by Cherry Turpin.
‘Jacqueline’
Cerise (H6) flowers, VII-XII, scented, in long sprays; dark greyish green foliage; vigorous, upright; height 75-100cm; spread 46-60cm habit.
A sport from ‘Heaven Scent‘, first sold un-named in 1998 to a few landscape gardeners by C. Kampa (Chobham, Surrey), before coming to the notice of John Hewitt, Summerfield Nursery (Frensham, Surrey, England).
Named after John Hewitt’s daughter.
‘Valerie Griffiths’
Pale pink flowers, VII-X; yellow foliage in summer deepening to golden yellow in winter; tall, bushy; height 31-45cm; spread 46-60cm. A selected seedling from a deliberate cross between Erica vagans ‘Valerie Proudley’ and Erica manipuliflora ‘Aldeburgh‘ made by Professor John Griffiths and named after his wife. It proved to be one of the best introductions of the 1990s.
‘Brightness’
Lilac-pink (H11) flowers, III–V; purple-green foliage in winter, turning glaucous green in summer; height 46–60cm; spread 46–60cm. Not reliably hardy; killed during the winter 2010–2011.
‘Coccinea’
Lilac-pink (H11) flowers, III–V; purple-green foliage; height 46–60cm; spread 61–75cm. Similar to ‘Brightness’ but less shapely.
‘Ewan Jones’
Shell-pink (H16) flowers, III–V; lime-green foliage in summer, turning yellow in winter; height 46–60cm; spread 61–75cm. When grown in soils that have high levels of magnesium soils, this stays lime-green and becomes vigorous attaining twice the height quoted.
Seedling from Erica erigena ‘Superba’; raised by A. W. Jones (Otters’ Court, West Camel, Somerset, England) in 1973; introduced by Otters’ Court Heathers in 1977.
Named after the eldest son of Diane and Bert Jones.
‘Glauca’
Deep lilac (H4) flowers, II–V; dark grey-green foliage; neat dome-like habit; height 31–45cm; spread 46–60cm.