Erica cinerea f. alba - Bell Heather

The Erica cinerea f. alba is a top ground cover choice for your acidic and well-drained, even dry soil. The heather with white flowers forms a compact, low and spreading tuft with evergreen foliage (retains its leaves all year round). Its narrow, dark green needle-like leaves host clusters of white bell-shaped flowers from July to October. These flowers bring joy to pollinating insects. This perennial plant appreciates non-burning sun and partial shade.

From the Ericaceae family, the Erica cinerea or heather grows in heathlands and siliceous woods in Western Europe. It is very often found in the wild in Europe. This compact, spreading subshrub has slender, tortuous branches covered with ash-coloured bark. Throughout the year, they are adorned with fine dark green needles, 3 to 10mm long. From July to October, its bell-shaped flowers are grouped in clusters at the end of the branches. Its white form, E. cinerea f. alba (sometimes called E. cinera ‘Alba’), as its name suggests (alba meaning "white" in Latin), is covered with white flowers all summer, particularly attractive to pollinating insects.

Easy to grow, heathers lend themselves to many uses in the garden: as a mass planting, border, rockery or even in a planter. As lovers of acidic and well-drained soil, pair them with plants that have the same needs, ideally other heathers or acid-loving plants such as deciduous azaleas or magnolias which they will elegantly dress the base of.

Create a carpet of heathers that blooms almost all year round by combining your Erica cinerea f. alba with winter heathers like Erica carnea ‘Rosalie’, which is covered in pink flowers from January to May, or Erica x darleyensis ‘Kramer’s Rote’, with bright pink flowers from November to March. This way, your planting will never be without flowers. You can also combine your heather with grasses like Deschampsia flexuosa 'Tatra Gold' or Anthoxanthum odoratum, which will bring lightness and modernity to your composition.