Calluna vulgaris Rasta Girls Maite - Heather

Calluna vulgaris 'Maite' is a variety of summer heather from the 'Rasta Girls' series, characterised by both closed flower buds and a trailing habit. 'Maite' develops dark green, evergreen needle-like foliage throughout the year. Intense red flower buds appear in September and October. As they do not open, they withstand harsh weather conditions and remain decorative for a long time. Instead of being upright, the stems are trailing. This heather is therefore ideal for hanging baskets or container plantings. In the garden, it behaves like a creeping plant, beautifully covering the stones in a rockery.

Calluna vulgaris, the only species in the genus Calluna belonging to the Ericaceae family, is the dominant vegetation of heathland in its natural habitat, in the cold regions of the United Kingdom and Northern Europe. 'Maite' is an evergreen shrub that forms small, bushy, slightly tousled, spreading and trailing plants, 40cm (16in) in height and width. Its growth rate is quite slow. Decorative throughout the year, it is adorned with a beautiful, long-lasting autumn flowering, in the form of densely clustered flower buds on compact and flexible spikes. Its dark green foliage is evergreen and scale-like, similar to that of a small conifer.

Calluna vulgaris 'Maite' is an original heather that thrives in any acidic, moist to dry soil, in full sun or partial shade. Stunning when planted en masse with other species and varieties, it pairs well with dwarf asters and small grasses in a rockery, on a bank, or in an informal border, where its flexible stems weave through the plants. In an ericaceous bed, it thrives at the base of witch hazels, pieris, or Skimmia japonica. On a patio or balcony, it can be planted in hanging baskets and pots, gracefully cascading for 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".