Calluna vulgaris Garden Girls Sarah - Heather

Calluna vulgaris Garden Girls 'Sarah' is a summer heather from the generous Garden Girls series. It develops evergreen foliage that is green-yellow to bright yellow, intensely bright. From late August to September, a multitude of small white flowers in buds appear along its spikes. Their particularity is that they never open and are not pollinated, giving the flowering a particularly long lifespan and increased resistance to bad weather. It brightens up autumn with its vivid light, in contrast to the warm colours of the season. Plant it in a rock garden, at the edge of a bed, or in a nice pot on the patio, in acidic and well-drained soil or substrate.

Calluna vulgaris Garden Girls 'Sarah' belongs to the Ericaceae family. Its ancestor, the common heather, the only species in the genus Calluna, is the dominant vegetation in its natural habitat of barren heathlands in the cold regions of the UK and Northern Europe. 'Sarah' is an evergreen shrub that forms small, bushy plants with a wide and upright habit, reaching approximately 40 cm (16in) in height and 50 cm (20in) in width after 3 to 4 years of cultivation. Decorative all year round thanks to its beautiful evergreen foliage, this cultivar blooms from early September until December. Its flower buds are arranged in upright and flexible spikes. The green-yellow to golden colour of its foliage is very bright.

The Garden Girls 'Sarah' Summer Heather 

is a light and refined plant that can be planted 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 weekend or low-maintenance gardens. Stunning when planted en masse with other species and varieties, it also pairs nicely with dwarf asters and short ornamental grasses, in a rock garden, on a slope, or in an informal border. In an ericaceous bed, it can be planted at the base of witch hazels, Pieris, or Skimmia japonica. On the patio or balcony, it fills pots and containers for autumnal floral displays with small perennials and bulbs.

Calluna vulgaris can withstand moderate grazing. It is an important food source for sheep and deer when the vegetation is covered in snow. It is capable of regenerating after a fire. In the past, this plant was considered magical and used in white magic rituals; it was believed to have protective powers. Calluna is also an ingredient in gruit, an aromatic composition used in beer brewing before the use of hops in the Middle Ages. Its flower tops have been used in herbal medicine for a very long time, as they are reputed to 'dissolve gallstones'.