COLOUR YOUR TERRACE
WITH WINTER ERICA

For unrivalled ability to put on a show of colour, whatever the weather, winter flowering heathers or Ericas are definite 'must haves'. The sight of beautiful, bell-shaped flowers covered in frost and set-off by dwarf conifers or dogwoods provides a wonderful lift to the spirit on a winter's day. The ability of some Ericas to flower right through from January to April means you get a wonderful return on your gardening investment with a long flowering period just when it's most needed.

Erica, or Heath, is a huge genus of over 700 species. These heather-like plants are popularly known as 'heathers', even though botanically heather is a slightly different plant. Added to this, most winter and spring flowering Ericas of European origin are happy to grow in an alkaline soil, even though their name indicates that they won't tolerate lime. Ericas thrive in pots and containers too, which makes them a brilliant choice for patio, terrace or balcony gardening.

With these basics covered, we can get down to some detail about these plants and how they can bring colour and a sense of warmth and homeliness into your life however small your garden.

Ericas are really useful when planting up a border specifically for colour at this time of year. Erica carnea, also known as Alpine heath or Winter heath is a great starting point. These are fully hardy and the range of colours offered by the cultivars means there is a wonderful choice. Each of the following varieties flowers in late winter or early spring. 'December Red', for example, opens pink and deepens to purplish pink. 'Golden Starlet' produces delicate white flowers. 'King George', producing deep pink flowers is one of the earliest to bloom in winter. 'Myretoun Ruby' can look fantastic with its deep, rose pink flowers and 'Eileen Porter' will actually flower all winter. And it isn't just the flowers that bring beauty to the garden - the foliage can be dark golden, as in the case of 'Ann Sparkes', or yellow turning to orange in cold weather - 'Barry Sellers'. 'Golden Starlet' has lime-green foliage that develops into an attractive yellow in summer.

As a small, spreading shrub, most garden species and varieties achieve a spread of somewhere between 25 and 50cm (but do confirm this when you buy). This means everyone has the potential to enjoy the benefits of Erica. Whether in pots on the patio, or planted as part of a winter border, the pleasures of these plants are self-evident. Quick to establish and easy to maintain, there is no excuse for looking out at bare ground, hard paving or mud!

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