Calluna vulgaris Selma - Heather

Calluna vulgaris Garden Girls® 'Selma' is a summer heather belonging to a series characterized by closed bud flowering, extremely durable and weather-resistant. Since the flowers are not pollinated, they have an extended lifespan. 'Selma' offers red carmine to pinkish-red floral buds, on medium green evergreen foliage. It brightens up autumn with its intense color, in harmony with the warm colours of the season. Plant it in a rock garden, border, or in a beautiful pot on the terrace, in acidic and well-drained soil or substrate.

Calluna vulgaris Garden Girls® 'Selma' belongs to the Ericaceae family. Its ancestor, the common heather, the only species of the genus Calluna, is the dominant vegetation in its natural habitat of barren heathlands in cold regions of the UK and Northern Europe. 'Selma' is a persistent shrub that forms small, bushy, wide and upright habit, reaching approximately 50cm in height and 60cm in width after 4 to 5 years of cultivation. Decorative throughout the year with its beautiful evergreen foliage, this cultivar blooms from September to November-December. Its floral buds are arranged in upright and flexible spikes.

The Garden Girls 'Selma' Summer Heather is a light and refined plant that thrives in any acidic, moist to dry soil, in full sun or partial shade. It adds elegance to wild areas of the garden as well as weekend or low-maintenance gardens. Stunning when planted in mass with other species and varieties, it also pairs nicely with dwarf asters and small ornamental grasses in a rock garden, on a slope, or in an informal border. In a heathland bed, it can be planted at the base of witch hazels, Pieris, or Skimmia japonica. On the terrace or balcony, it fills pots and planters, creating autumnal floral compositions with small perennials and bulbs.

Calluna vulgaris tolerates moderate grazing. It serves as an important food source for sheep and deer when vegetation is covered by 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, as in the Breton heaths where it is said to ward off ghostly spirits. Calluna was also an ingredient in 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 long time due to their reputation for "dissolving stones in the bladder".