Erica arborea Estrella Gold - Tree Heath

The Erica arborea 'Estrella Gold' is a variety of compact arborescent heather but exceptionally bright. This elegant shrub offers very golden foliage in spring, at the same time as its clusters of white and melliferous flowers bloom. Moderately hardy but robust, it thrives particularly well in reasonably poor, non-limestone soils, cool to dry in summer. With its wild charm, arborescent heather integrates perfectly into a large rockery or a small free hedge.

The Erica arborea 'Estrella Gold' is a horticultural selection more compact than the type, with young foliage that is very yellow. The wild species from which it is derived, called tree heather or white heather, is a shrubby plant of the large family Ericaceae. Its preferred habitat consists of heathlands, slopes and forest edges. It mainly develops on siliceous soils (rich in sand) poor in nutrients.

The 'Estrella Gold' tree heather shows slow growth. The shrub has a taller-than-wide habit, supported by many upright and well-branched branches. In the long term, this variety reaches about 1.20 m (4ft) in height and 80 cm (32in) in width. Its branches bear tiny, non-prickly needle-like leaves throughout the year, including in winter. The flower buds form early in late autumn or winter on well-furnished foliage and open in pure white bells between late March and May. The shrub flowers for 3 months. The small urn-shaped flowers open in small clusters along the branches. They are pleasantly scented and very popular with bees.

This elegant 'Estrella Gold' heather is an excellent plant for coastal gardens, including non-limestone Mediterranean areas. This beautiful shrub blends perfectly with lower heathers that bloom simultaneously in various colours: Erica x darleyensis 'Kramer's Rote', western heather, Erica carnea 'December Red'. It will also work wonders in a small hedge with gorse, Teucrium fruticans 'Azureum' or Callistemon 'Inferno', for example. This heather can create, in a group of 3 to 5 plants, a decor full of great poetry.