Erica carnea Myretoun Ruby - Winter Heath

Erica carnea 'Myretoun Ruby' is an old variety of Winter Heather appreciated for its abundant flowering of a beautiful dark pink bells. It bears an intense and warm colour that brings the garden to life in a unique way from winter to early spring when colours are rare. It forms a pretty spread-out tuft with dark green foliage that covers the ground well and remains attractive all year round, even outside of flowering. Particularly hardy, this heather prefers limestone soils and dappled sunlight.

Erica carnea 'Myretoun Ruby' belongs to the Ericaceae family. It is one of the many descendants of Erica carnea native to the limestone Alps. It is a well-branched undershrub with a very low and spread-out habit, 15 cm (5.9 in) tall and 30 cm to 40 cm (11.8 in to 15.7 in) wide. Its growth is quite slow, with a lifespan of about fifteen years. From January-February to April-May, it produces reddish-brown flower buds that unfold into small urn-shaped flowers of a bright violet-pink colour, with prominent stamens that turn crimson before fading. The bells are arranged in clusters 5 cm to 10 cm (2 in to 3.9 in) long, at the ends of leafy stems. The flowering is nectar-bearing, providing a valuable source of pollen and nectar for bees in early spring. The evergreen foliage consists of small, narrow, upright, dark green leaves.

Erica carnea 'Myretoun Ruby' will find its place as ground cover at the base of deciduous or evergreen bushes, where it appreciates light shade. It can also be used in rock gardens, alongside alpine plants. It can be cultivated both in urban and rural areas. Being one of the best garden plants, you can plant it individually, as well as in heather gardens, borders, and containers.

While heathers, especially the genus Erica, are often associated with the wet Atlantic heathlands of Brittany, Ireland, or Scotland, there are also heathers adapted to dry climates and limestone soils, such as those found in Mediterranean regions. However, one of the richest areas for heathers is located far away, in South Africa. In the Cape region, there is a vegetation formation on acidic soil, similar to Mediterranean scrub vegetation, called Fynbos, which includes nearly 625 heather species out of the 740 species that exist worldwide.