Calluna vulgaris Alba - Heather

Calluna vulgaris 'Alba' is a variety of common Heather or White-flowered Heather, in closed bells. It is a floriferous variety, decorative from August to October with its flowering, and all year round with its dark green evergreen foliage. It stands out in flower beds and is particularly interesting in winter. Over time, it forms a pretty ground cover for ericaceous flower beds. Floriferous and extremely hardy, it is perfectly adapted to acidic soils and harsh climates.

Calluna vulgaris, the only species in the genus Calluna belonging to the Ericaceous family, constitutes, in its natural environment, the dominant vegetation of barren heathlands in the cold regions of the UK and Northern Europe. 'Alba' is one of its many cultivars. This evergreen shrub forms small, slightly scruffy bushes, 30 cm (11.8 in) tall and 50 cm (19.7 in) wide at a minimum. It has a fairly slow growth. Decorative all year round, it stands out for the changing colouration of its fine, scaly foliage, which is medium green in spring before taking on reddish bronze hues from the first cold weather. Its late flowering takes place from September to November. Its small, closed white bells are densely grouped in upright, compact but flexible spikes. It is a honey plant, used in beekeeping due to the high sugar content of its nectar. Heather honey is characterised by its gelatinous texture and dark colour.

'Alba' is used planted in groups with other cultivars (there are countless). For a long winter flowering, one can imitate nature by mixing common heather and bell heather, Erica cinerea and its varieties, changing the colour of the landscapes they form at the time of their flowering. It brightens up rockeries and borders along pathways. It adapts very well to cultivation in pots and in planters where it will form beautiful seasonal compositions. Planted in ericaceous flower beds, it can cover the base of rhododendrons or witch hazels. Create delightful, slightly wild scenes by planting 'Alba' with grasses, ferns, and dwarf conifers at the base of silver birch trees.

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