Daboecia cantabrica Waleys Red - Irish Heath

Daboecia cantabrica 'Waley's Red' is a variety of Saint-Daboec Heather with a beautiful purple-magenta flowering and shiny green foliage. This colourful Irish Heather, is an evergreen undershrub with a rustic appearance that stands out from other heathers with its low, dense but flexible habit, the duration of its flowering, and the beautiful size of its bell-shaped flowers. When conditions are favourable, this plant, also known as Cantabrian Mountain Heather, creates lovely ground-cover in pink and white checkboards for rockeries and borders in a naturalistic garden.

Daboecia cantabrica 'Waley's Red' belongs to the Ericaceae family. Its wild ancestor is native to Western Europe, specifically Ireland, Spain, Portugal, and the Azores. It grows spontaneously on the edge of woodlands and heathlands, on acidic, sandy or peaty, poor soils that do not dry out. Undemanding, it can withstand temperatures of around -15 to -18°C (5 to -0.4°F).

Its habit is spreading, carried by prostrate, hairy, and glandular branches at the top, which partially straighten up. At maturity, the plant will measure an average of 40cm (16in) in height with a relative spread of 50 to 60cm (20 to 24in). Its small, elliptical-ovate leaves, 1cm (0.4 in) long and 4 to 5mm (0.2in) wide, are evergreen in winter, simple, leathery, and alternately arranged on the branches. Green and glossy on the upper side, they are hairy and curl at the edges on the reverse side. The long-lasting flowering begins in June and continues until September-October. Gathered in terminal clusters, the flowers are charming pendulous bells, measuring 1cm (0.4 in) long and 3 to 4mm (0.1 to 0.2 in) in diameter. Their colour is a dark pinkish-purple. This nectar-producing flowering attracts and nourishes many pollinating insects.

Hardy, tolerant of very poor and very acidic soils, it is an ideal small bush for an alpine garden, as well as by the sea, planted en masse to vegetate a rockery, or a sandy slope where few plants are willing to grow. It can be planted with Pink Thrift, Azorella, other heathers, or even Sea Starwort. It can be grown in a pot on a terrace or balcony for its slightly wild appearance and long flowering period: choose a large enough container and keep the (exclusively acidic) substrate always moist.