Ling - The only species of the genus is Heather. An evergreen plant with a life cycle of about four decades is completely unpretentious to the soil and care, has a large number of useful properties. Gardeners and gardeners are attracted by the fact that heather ordinary has many varieties for the garden.
Heather vulgaris: how are plant varieties classified
Low-growing evergreen shrub with branching stems and small dark green leaves, with a rounded crown and brown bark. From small flowers, long, inflorescences (25 cm) are created. Characterized by the presence of a long calyx and a small nimbus of dark pink.
Heather and its varieties are distinguished by the color of flowers, which can be white or purple, and the color of leaves varies from ashy to tan. Distributed in Europe, North Africa, Asia, in Russia geographically suitable Western Siberia. The best habitats are coniferous forests and peat bogs, as well as sands and tundra.
A large cluster of shrubs is called heather heath. Common Heather has several subspecies - heather decorative, pink, tree and garden.
Varieties with green leaf color
Heather garden - frost-resistant varieties differing in height, color of leaves, flowers and their inflorescences.
Garden Heather has three groups - tall, medium and undersized varieties.
Darkness - was synthesized by the German breeder Pratt, 35 cm high, the crown is dense, compact, the leaves are light green in summer, dark green in winter, bloom profusely from August to October, the flowers are located on peduncles 15 cm long and have a purple color that they lose to Autumn, upright growing shoots add 12-15 cm per year.
She prefers peat and acidic soils, as protection in winter it is necessary to cover with dry leaves.
Important! In addition to external factors, it is valuable for its healing properties, used as a hemostatic and antipyretic agent.Marleen - densely branched upright shrub in the height of 40-70 cm, with a diameter of 50 cm, small green leaves and bright purple buds, blooming from August to November, winter-hardy. Received in Germany.
Heather graceful - South African plant, evergreen shrub 50 cm high, having short side shoots and small, up to 5 mm long, light green linear leaves. Flowers oval-oblong, not hairy, bright purple color, collected in 4 pcs. on the short ends of the shoots.
Heather scottish - branchy evergreen shrub growing even up to 1 m. Red-brown bark, thin branches, leaves are small, needle-shaped, green, densely located in 4 rows.
Did you know? In ancient times, Scottish wizards made a drink from heather, quite comparable with a love potion, and also painted a kilt with it.
Varieties with green leaf color and white flowers
Among the representatives can be distinguished variety Long white. This small evergreen shrub with a fleshy crown and dark brown bark, with narrow leaves 30 cm long saturated green, 20-40 cm tall and white unassuming flowers connected in oblong inflorescences (25-30 cm) was bred in Holland 1962
Its characteristic features can be called frost resistance and sun-love, as well as mandatory soil drainage and prewinter mulching after slight freezing.
The beauty of heather is used in rock gardens, heather gardens, when creating landscape compositions. This variety needs constant watering, in some cases pruning may be needed.
Remarkable Hammondii - was first obtained in England in 1850. This straight slow-growing shrub with a spherical dense crown and small green scaly-like leaves and white flowers, gathering in 20-centimeter inflorescences of uniforms form a form, reaches a height of 40-70 cm and a diameter of 50 cm.
In the year its size increases by 6-8 cm. The flowering period is from August to September, the life expectancy is up to 30 years.
Silver leaf varieties
Glendoik silver - a wide shrub, a representative of the heather for the garden, belongs to the group with silver leaves, reaches 20 cm in height, has a diameter of about 45 cm, with declined branches, lilac or purple single flowers, forming long brushes. Flowering time - September-October.
Jan dekker - 15 cm tall, shrub with a shade, crown diameter 30 cm, with raised branches, gray-green framed foliage, pink-lilac flowers and short compressed inflorescences, flowering stage - September.
Silver knight - obtained by the English breeder Sparkes in the 1960s, is a low evergreen shrub 20-30 cm tall, 45 cm in diameter, with a compact crown, pincushion, dark brown shell, fluffy silver leaves, which become bright red in winter.
Flowering period - from August to September. The flowers are light purple or pink, very simple. The length of the inflorescences is 20 cm. The fruit strings do not occur, and the increase per year is about 10 cm. He loves light, peaty soils, but is afraid of severe frosts, so winter should be covered with spruce leaves.
Varieties with golden leaf color
Orange queen - striking gorgeous color foliage. In height and width it reaches 60 cm, the foliage is bright green in summer, at the end of August it turns orange and bright yellow, and in winter turns into copper and orange-red. Flowering occurs from August to November, the color of flowers - white and pink, in long inflorescences.
The variety is very light-requiring and frost-resistant, favorable soils are peaty, moisturized, acidic. Young plants in winter are recommended to cover with spruce leaves.
Aurea - small, wide, slow-growing shrub, reaching a height of 40 cm, with needle-shaped, located opposite the leaves, which in summer have a yellow-golden hue, and in winter maroon-brown. The flowers are light purple, in large vertical inflorescences, flowering period - from mid-August to October.
The roots of the variety are deep, there are many thin roots, they like nutritious sour soil, sunlight, endure the heat well, but late frosts are dangerous. Pruning is most favorable in early spring.
Important! This variety is valued for its long flowering and is an excellent honey plant.
Boskoop - produced in Holland in 1967, an evergreen 40-centimeter shrub. Crohn close, nut-brown skin, scale-like leaves green with yellow tint in summer and orange-red in winter, flowers lilac-pink, red, inflorescences are short and thick.
Varieties with double flowers
Especially distinguished variety Beale. A shrub with a height of 30-50 cm, has a gray-green needle-shaped leaves and countless pink flowers and terry texture with massive long inflorescences.
The variety needs a lot of sunlight, drained soils, sufficient moisture, autumn mulching and spruce fir-trees for the winter.
Charming Alportii. Differs in the growth rate, often its height is more than 50 cm, leaves covered with down and purple or lilac terry flowers make a great impression. Reaches more than 60 cm in height, fast and upright growing. Unpretentious, but loves fresh drained soil and sunny or semi-shady areas.
Did you know? This variety is the national symbol of Norway.Alba plena - beautiful heather with double flowers. It is characterized by a small height (about 40 cm) with an extended straight habit and white flowers blooming from September to October. A typical variety for boggy reliefs, and also friable, sandy, fertilized soil devoid of limestone.
J.H. Hamilton. The characteristics of this variety, bred in England in 1935, are 40 cm in height, 50 cm in diameter, compact crown and leaves, ranging from a dark green shade in summer to a bronze-purple in autumn.
Flowers also attract attention with their terry and purple-carmine or burgundy color, produce inflorescences 20 cm long. Life expectancy is 20 years.
Varieties with unopened flowers
David Eason - compact spherical shrub, has a height of 20 cm, and a crown diameter of 25 cm, a large number of ascending branches, foliage of dark green color, dark pink flowers, collected in short inflorescences, bloom in August-September.
Fritz Kircher. Spherical shrub, towering 30 cm above the ground, diameter in the crown is 45 cm, and the branches rise upwards, the leaves are ordinary green, the flowers are non-revealing, red-pink. The flowering period is September.
Minima - miniature pillow-shaped shrub with a height of only 5 cm, and in diameter - 15 cm. In spring and summer, the leaves are green, in winter there is a brown color. The flowers are bright pink, not disclosed, coupled in a short brush. Bloom in late summer.
