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Erica carnea f. aureifolia Foxhollow - Winter Heath

Erica carnea f. aureifolia Foxhollow
Winter Heath, Spring Heath, Snow Heather, Alpine Heath

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Well received.

paul , 21/09/2024

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This plant carries a 24 months recovery warranty

More information

A rather lovely variety of alpine heather, as robust, hardy, and tolerant as its species. Its evergreen foliage displays shades of bronze, golden, or orange depending on the seasons. It blooms for a long time, from January to May, with pale pink to mauve-violet flowers depending on the exposure. This heather tolerates slightly chalky soils. Ideal for groundcover between shrubs or in a rockery.
Flower size
5 mm
Height at maturity
15 cm
Spread at maturity
40 cm
Exposure
Sun, Partial shade
Hardiness
Hardy down to -29°C
Soil moisture
Moist soil
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Best planting time March, October
Recommended planting time February to May, September to December
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Flowering time January to May
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Description

Erica carnea 'Foxhollow' is a variety of heather.  It forms a compact and evergreen clump with young foliage that is bronze to golden green, which turns orange to red in winter due to the cold. Between January and May, it is covered in pale pink to mauve-violet flowers. Very bright, this plant brightens up the garden in winter with its beautiful colourful features. Like all alpine heathers, it is particularly hardy and tolerates slightly chalky soils. However, it appreciates sunny positions.

Erica carnea 'Foxhollow' belongs to the family Ericaceae. It is descended from Erica carnea, native to the mountains of southern and central Europe. It is a result of sowing Erica carnea 'Aurea', discovered at the Foxhollow nursery in England by J. F. Letts in 1969. It is an undershrub with a low, spreading habit, heavily branched, 15 cm (6in) tall and 30 to 45 cm (12 to 18in) wide. Its growth is quite slow, with a lifespan of about fifteen years. Almost throughout the winter and until spring, from January to May, it presents delicate small flowers which are pink, with prominent purple stamens. The bells are arranged in clusters 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4in) long, at the ends of the leafy stems. The melliferous flowers provide a valuable source of pollen and nectar for bees in early spring. The evergreen foliage is composed of small, narrow, erect leaves, with bronze young shoots, then green-yellow in spring, which turn orange to red in winter due to the cold.

Erica carnea 'Foxhollow' is used as groundcover, among the shrubs of a bed or in a rockery, in the company of mountain plants for example. Tolerant of pollution and sea spray, it is a heather for cities, countryside and coastal areas. A very reliable plant in the garden, it is also ornamental in a heather garden forming a mosaic of colourful and varied cushions. It can also be grown in a pot, where its lovely dense and rounded shape can adorn an angular pot.

While heathers, and in particular the genus Erica are often associated with the wet Atlantic heaths of Brittany, Ireland, or Scotland, there are also heathers that thrive in dry climates and on limestone soils, in Mediterranean regions. One of the richest areas in heather is located far away, in South Africa. In the Cape region, there is a plant formation on acidic soil, equivalent to our Mediterranean scrub vegetation, called Fynbos, which includes nearly 625 species of heather out of the 740 that exist in the world.

Plant habit

Height at maturity 15 cm
Spread at maturity 40 cm
Habit creeping
Growth rate slow

Flowering

Flower colour pink
Flowering time January to May
Inflorescence Cyme
Flower size 5 mm
Bee-friendly Attracts pollinators

Foliage

Foliage persistence Evergreen
Foliage colour golden

Botanical data

Genus

Erica

Species

carnea f. aureifolia

Cultivar

Foxhollow

Family

Ericaceae

Other common names

Winter Heath, Spring Heath, Snow Heather, Alpine Heath

Origin

Cultivar or hybrid

Product reference205210

Planting and care

Erica carnea 'Foxhollow' will prefer a soil that is quite poor in organic matter. The soil should be light, sandy, slightly acidic, neutral or slightly alkaline, moist but well-drained. Plant in autumn or spring, without burying the collar of the plant too much, in groups of 5 to 10 plants for an intense effect. This plant appreciates non-burning sun or partial shade. In the first two years, carefully weed around the base. Adapted to very well-drained environments, the roots of this heather are branched and prevent the establishment of other species nearby once they are well established. In case of prolonged drought, mulch around the base to retain some moisture. Erica can be susceptible to phytophthora (root rot), pythium and rhizoctonia during hot and wet periods.

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Planting period

Best planting time March, October
Recommended planting time February to May, September to December

Intended location

Suitable for Meadow, Rockery, Woodland edge
Type of use Border, Edge of border, Container, Slope
Hardiness Hardy down to -29°C (USDA zone 5) Show map
Ease of cultivation Amateur
Planting density 4 per m2
Exposure Sun, Partial shade
Soil pH Acidic, Neutral
Soil type Silty-loamy (rich and light), Stony (poor and well-drained)
Soil moisture Moist soil, Well-drained

Care

Pruning instructions Each year after flowering, prune the faded branches to 2 cm (1in) above the previous year's shoot and remove the withered flowers which will allow the clumps to remain dense while producing lovely new foliage. Never prune the older wood, as buds will not sprout from it.
Pruning Pruning recommended once a year
Pruning time May
Soil moisture Moist soil
Disease resistance Good
Overwinter Can be left in the ground
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