Calluna vulgaris Golden Angie - Heather

Calluna vulgaris Garden Girls 'Golden Angie' is a summer heather in gold and red, blazing under the gentle autumn sun. It belongs to the prolific Garden Girls series: its floral buds in small pearls remain closed. Unpollinated, they have an extended lifespan for long-lasting flowering, unaffected by bad weather. 'Golden Angie' has evergreen foliage in golden yellow, adorned with bright red flower buds that turn pink when ripe.

Calluna vulgaris Garden Girls 'Golden Angie' belongs to the Ericaceae family. Its ancestor, the common heather, the only species in the genus Calluna, constitutes the dominant vegetation of barren heathlands in the cold regions of the UK and Northern Europe. 'Golden Angie' is a persistent shrub that forms small, curly bushes with a broad and erect habit, reaching about 50 cm (20in) in height and width after 3 years of cultivation. Decorative all year round thanks to its beautiful evergreen foliage, this cultivar blooms from August to November. Its floral buds are arranged in upright and flexible spikes. The yellow-green to golden coloring of its foliage is very bright.

The 'Golden Angie' Summer Heather' is a light and refined plant, which thrives in any acidic, moist to dry soil, in full sun or partial shade. It brings elegance to wild areas of the garden as well as to weekend or low-maintenance gardens. Stunning when planted em masse with other species and varieties, it also pairs beautifully with dwarf asters and short ornamental grasses, in rockeries, on slopes, or in informal borders. In a heathland bed, it can be planted at the base of witch hazels, Pieris, or Skimmia japonica. On the patio or balcony, it fills pots and containers, creating autumnal floral compositions with small perennials and bulbs.

Calluna vulgaris tolerates moderate grazing. It represents an important food source for sheep and deer when vegetation is covered in snow. It is capable of regenerating after fire. In the past, this plant was considered magical and used in white magic rituals; it was believed to have protective powers, as in the Breton heaths, where it is said to ward off ghostly spirits. Calluna is also an ingredient in gruit, an aromatic composition used in brewing beer before the use of hops in the Middle Ages. Its flowering tops have been used in herbal medicine for a long time, as they are reputed to 'dissolve gallstones in the bladder'.