Calluna vulgaris Radnor - Heather

Calluna vulgaris 'Radnor' is a variety of Summer Heather or Ling with double flowers, in a soft pink colour, on evergreen foliage of a beautiful bright green. It blooms from August to October, but its foliage is interesting all year round. It is an extremely hardy plant, perfectly suited to acidic soils and harsh climates, for borders, rockeries, heathland or pots.

Calluna vulgaris, the only species in the genus Calluna belonging to the Ericaceae family, constitutes, in its natural habitat, the dominant vegetation of barren heathlands in the cold regions of the United Kingdom and Northern Europe. 'Radnor' is a cultivar discovered in Radnor Forest in Wales by Miss H. M. Appleby in 1954. This persistent shrub forms small, spreading bushes, with a slightly disheveled habit, both upright and spreading, 20 to 25cm (8 to 10in) in height and 30 to 45cm (12 to 18in) in width. Its growth is quite slow. Decorative all year round, it is adorned with beautiful double flowers in a light pink colour. They are densely grouped on upright, compact but flexible spikes. Its foliage is evergreen, scaly, similar to that of a small conifer.

Callunas are superb summer heathers, as light and graceful as they are dense, very pleasant planted in mass with other varieties with diverse foliage and flowering. They also make good ground cover in heathland soil beds or as a border along a path. To extend the flowering period, they can be mixed with winter-flowering heathers. Calluna is an excellent rockery plant. On terraces and balconies, it is a decorative plant all year round and undemanding, both alone and as a structural plant in a flower composition. It also accompanies Witch Hazels, Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Pieris, and Skimmia japonica. It is a melliferous plant, used in beekeeping due to the high sugar content of its nectar. Heather honey is characterized by its gelatinous texture and dark colour.

Calluna vulgaris tolerates moderate grazing. It represents an important food source for sheep and deer when the vegetation is covered in snow. It is capable of regenerating after a fire. In the past, this plant was considered magical, used in white magic rituals; it was attributed protective powers, as in the Breton heathlands, 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 very long time, as they are reputed to "dissolve stones in the bladder".