Society News archive

A strange variant of bell heather was found by Dr John Wright on Sandford Heath in Dorset a few years ago and it has just been given a name: ‘Sandford Heritage’ (registered no. E.2011.02).

This also happens to be the name of a community heritage programme in the Sandford area – it has the by-line “Cordite, Clay & Calluna”!

For more on its excellent work, and for pictures of the local heathers, which include the Dorset heath Erica ciliaris, go to the Project’s website.

The Irish garden September 2011 issue contains an article on the Connemara garden of our stalwart members, Susie and Alan Kay – “With their garden sitting just a few hundred metres from the Atlantic Ocean in Co. Galway, Susie and Alan Kay worked with nature and especially heathers. [Gerry Daly, Editor]

The Irish garden is Ireland’s best-selling garden magazine. It was established twenty years ago. Subscriptions cost €46 for 10 issues in Republic of Ireland. You can subscribe online. For overseas rates contact [email protected]

The British Heather Growers Association garden at the Hampton Court Show designed by Will Quarmby has gained a GOLD MEDAL in the Best Small Gardens section, and also was rewarded as one of the Most Creative gardens at the Show.

Monty Don (in conversation with Alys Fowler, while sitting in the “Heathers in Harmony” garden: transcript from BBC2 tv): “I was walking past here the other day, and stopped in my tracks on this garden. I thought: That’s lovely, because, I thought – it’s heathers – I don’t really like heathers. And I had to reassess, sort of in a second, my whole world view of a whole order of plants and how they could be used, And, d’you know, that’s a gift: you cannot ask for more than that when you go and see a show.”
Chris Beardshaw (also as he was in the “Heathers in Harmony” garden: transcript from BBC2 tv)

“Heathers in a garden may be slightly unusual sight here at Hampton Court. They have been out of fashion for many years, and that is why this green wall of winter-flowering heathers is such a wonderful sight. These are plants which are very adventurous. They don’t mind tumbling over rock-faces and in scree, and so they are perfect candidates for this style of gardening. If vertical gardening is set to revolutionize winter-flowering heathers, then the subtle use of the Daboecia as an edging plant in place of plants like the rosemary, the lavender and the thyme – as long as you have an acid soil rich in organic matter – then why not employ these wonderful candidates to tickle your ankles as you walk through the garden path.”

Britain’s beleaguered bees and other pollinating insects are set to benefit from a new Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) campaign. The charity is launching the ‘RHS Perfect for Pollinators’ list to help gardeners select plants that will play a role in addressing the decline of certain insects. The RHS will be working with the trade to provide point-of-sale material and make the logo available for the trade to use.

The ‘RHS Perfect for Pollinators’ label was developed when writer and broadcaster Sarah Raven approached the charity with the innovative idea of flagging up to gardeners plants most suitable for pollinators. The RHS had been working on a research project looking at plants for bugs and was excited by Sarah’s idea that a label might get the public and trade more involved.

For the list of plants that are perfect for pollinators, go to the RHS website.

The heathers included in it, and their seasons, are

• winter heath (Erica carnea): late winter / spring
• Irish heath (Erica erigena): late winter / spring
• Darley Dale heath (Erica × darleyensis): late winter / spring
• bell heather (Erica cinerea): summer
• Cornish heath (Erica vagans): summer / autumn
• ling or Scotch heath (Calluna vulgaris): summer / autumn