Erica vagans St Keverne - Cornish Heath

Decorative all year round, this Cornish heather or Erica vagans 'St Keverne' will brighten up a rockery, a bed, a border or even a planter on a terrace or balcony. It is a small spreading shrub appreciated for its evergreen foliage and its generous light pink summer flowering. Not demanding and resistant to cold, it enjoys sun or partial shade in well-drained, slightly acidic or neutral soil. It can tolerate slightly chalky soils.

Erica vagans is called Cornish heather or summer heather. Belonging to the Ericaceae family, it occurs naturally in Irish heaths, Great Britain, western France, and Spain. The 'St Keverne'  variety forms a compact, dwarf carpeting shrub. It reaches 20 to 30cm in height and width. Its bright green, persistent leaves (remain in place all year round) are fine needles grouped in fascicles. From July to October, it is covered with clusters of small light pink bell-shaped flowers. Its flowering is particularly abundant and melliferous, much to the delight of bees and other pollinating insects.

Planted in groups, heathers are particularly decorative. Combine the 'St Keverne' Cornish heather with complementary varieties that flower at other times to achieve a nearly year-round flowering bed. Consider, for example, Erica darleyensis 'Ghost Hill', which flowers from December to March, Erica carnea 'Rosalie', also known as winter heath (from January to May), and Daboecia cantabrica 'Waley's Red', also called Irish heath, whose red flowers bloom from June to September.
Paired with rockery conifers, it will create a sensation. The Picea pungens 'Kuba' with its blue foliage or the Juniperus communis 'Green Carpet' will be excellent companions.