Calluna season is here
‘Tis the season! Calluna season, that is. With its many beautiful and varied cultivars, calluna is everyone’s favourite flowering evergreen. Time to get to know this hardy, inspiring and storied plant.
Originally grown in the rolling hillsides, heathlands, moors and dunes in Northern and Western Europe, calluna shrubs have been colouring autumns for centuries. The plant is iconic of Scotland, where fields of purple calluna heather can be found everywhere.
‘Calluna’ comes from the Greek word ‘Kallune”, which means ‘to clean or brush’. Back in the day, heather twigs were used to make brooms. During the Middle Ages, calluna tops were even used to brew beer and make tea.
Purple is the plant’s most common colour, but hundreds of different cultivars can be found in a large variety of different colours, from yellow to pink, red, white, and orange. Planting a few different varieties together will make for a vibrant fall garden.
Calluna is a strong evergreen that can bloom from September until November. The shrubs like acid soil and a sunny spot, but are still fairly low-maintenance. The thick mats of colourful foliage allow us to enjoy the beautiful wilds of the European heathlands in the comfort of our gardens.
