Impeccable Plant Species With All Inevitable Features
Some of the best hardy plants which contribute interest and beauty to gardens in winter are all too rarely been. Fortunately, some are becoming better known. One of the most pleasing is winter heath, Erica carnea.
This small shrub is outstanding not only for the abundance and duration of its bloom, which lasts fully half the winter, but also because it is the easiest of the heaths to raise in many gardens. One of the first questions brought up about a heath is its hardiness. On this score there is ample reassurance, as this species survives 10∞ below zero and possibly even more extreme cold for short periods without damage.
Winter heaths make dense cushion-like masses rarely more than 10 inches high, and in time they may spread 2 feet or more. Young plants are about twice as wide as their height.
This species has needlelike leaves, about 1/4-inch long, set around the branchlets in whorls of four. Except for a deep silvery groove on the lower surface, the needles are rich dark green. As they last for several years, the leaves play an important part in the dense appearance of these small shrubs.
Towards the latter part of the growing season one notices the great numbers of green buds hanging along the lower side of the growth made earlier in the year. The buds usually occupy the terminal 2 or 3 inches of the shoots, but in favorable seasons, the entire growth is sometimes lined with them. Some years favor early opening of the buds, and one can often find them+ showing color in November. January and February are more typical for the beginning of the display, however. Exposure to winter sunshine, protection from winds, type of soil, and several other factors influence the opening of the buds. The date varies considerably from year to year. Bell-shaped rose pink corollas push out from the green buds, which themselves become pinkish and turn out to he small deeply four-cleft calyces. Purple anthers project slightly through the drooping corollas and set off the more delicate tones of the rest of the flowers.
Several named varieties or clones offer selections in different intensities of color, and one, Springwood White, has beautiful albino flowers. The ranks of small drooping bells along every shoot are completely delightful. One can hardly believe that blossoms so delicate can survive bitter weather and sudden changes in temperature. Survive they do, however, and even if a cold snap browns some flowers, new ones will open when the weather moderates.
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