Calluna vulgaris Garden Girls Lisbeth - Heather

Calluna vulgaris 'Lisbeth' is an early-flowering summer heather from the Garden Girls series. It reveals its flower buds from mid-August. The buds remain closed until the end of its long flowering period towards the end of October. Its unopened flowers are not pollinated, which explains their long lifespan and their resistance to bad weather. They form like small pearls in long, dense, red-purple spikes. The flowers look wonderful against the dark and intense, grey-green evergreen foliage. Plant it in a rock garden, along the edge of a flower bed, or in a pretty pot on a patio, in acidic and well-drained soil or substrate.

Calluna vulgaris Garden Girls® 'Lisbeth' 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. 'Lisbeth' is an evergreen shrub that forms small, bushy, wide and upright plants, reaching about 50cm (20in) in height and width after 3 years of cultivation. Decorative all year round thanks to its beautiful evergreen foliage, this cultivar blooms from mid-August until October-November. Its flower buds are arranged in upright and flexible spikes. 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 'Lisbeth' Garden Girls summer heather is a light and refined plant, which can be planted in any acidic soil, from moist to dry, in full sun or partial shade. It brings elegance to wild areas of the garden as well as to weekend or low-maintenance gardens. Stunning when planted en masse with other species and varieties, it also pairs nicely with dwarf asters and small grasses, in rock gardens, on banks, or in informal borders. In an ericaceous soil bed, 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".