Calluna vulgaris Garden Girls Athene - Heather

Calluna vulgaris Garden Girls® 'Athene' is a compact summer heather with small crimson-red flower buds on medium green evergreen foliage. Like all callunas in the Garden Girls series, its flower buds remain closed, are not pollinated, and withstand inclement weather. They persist along the stems for up to 4 months, providing a long-lasting flowering period. Pair its vibrant red colour with warm autumn shades, in rock gardens, border plantings, or in a pretty pot on a patio. Plant it in well-drained acidic soil or substrate.

Calluna vulgaris Garden Girls® 'Athene' belongs to the Ericaceae family. Its ancestor, the common heather, is the only species of the genus Calluna. In its natural habitat, it is the dominant vegetation of barren heathlands in the cold regions of the United Kingdom and Northern Europe. 'Athene' is an evergreen shrub that forms small, bushy plants with a wide, upright habit, reaching approximately 40cm (16in) in height and 50cm (20in) in width after 3 years of cultivation. Decorative throughout the year with its beautiful evergreen foliage, this cultivar blooms from early September to December. Its flower buds are arranged in upright, flexible spikes. The medium green colour of its foliage harmonises perfectly with the intense crimson-red of its flowering. Its nectar contains a high sugar content, making this honey-bearing plant invaluable in beekeeping. Heather honey is characterised by its gelatinous texture and dark colour.

The Garden Girls 'Athene' summer heather is a light and refined plant that 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 low-maintenance or weekend gardens. Stunning when planted en masse with other species and varieties, it pairs beautifully with dwarf asters and small grasses in rock gardens, on banks, or in informal borders. In acidic soil beds, it can be planted at the base of witch hazels, pieris, or Skimmia japonica. Plant it in pots and containers on a patio or balcony to create autumnal floral compositions with small perennials and bulbs. 

Calluna vulgaris can withstand moderate grazing. It represents an important source of food for sheep and deer when snow covers the vegetation. It is capable of regenerating after a fire. In the past, this plant was considered magical and used in white magic rituals; it was attributed protective powers, as in the Breton heaths, where it is said to ward off ghostly spirits. Calluna is also an ingredient of 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".