THOSE OF you who haven't seen the display of summer
flowering heathers currently in bloon: around Panorama
Village and The Salmon House are missing a treat for the

eyes.

Even better would be a trip to
Van Dusen Gardens, which boasts
a much broader selection on
display.

The summer blooming ealluna
vulgaris, daboecia, and the various
ericas (heathers all) are among my
favorite candidates when consider-
ing an attractive ground cover in
the design of a flow maintenance
garden.

They are particularly well suited
to the gardens of the North Shore
because of their bias toward slight-
ly acid soils which are generally
moist and yet well drained.

This is to say nothing of the faet
that most of the heathers come to
us from the British Isles and
therefore areas such as Tiddiy
Cove and Ambleside should make
them feel quite at home.

Although some varicties will tol-
erate a small amount of shade, all
are best planted in full sun for
maximum results. The secret in
growing a weed-free bed of
heather, or any ground cover for
that matter, is keep the weeds out

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carly, so the heather will establish
itself before the weeds do.

The blooming period of the
cafluna vulgaris hybrids can extend
from July into November but the
majority will show in August. The
more robust forms are usually the
first to be purchased and this, in
combination with an ignorance of
pruning requirements, is why so
many are disappointed with the
end results.

The callunas bloom on the tips
of new growth and, after the
blooms have faded, new foliage
will appear beyond them, Hf you
do not prune the spent flower
spikes back, you will be left with a
very thin, twiggy, and unattractive
plant in a very short period of
time. As the robust varieties will
produce longer spikes, the problem
is compounded with them.

Some of the varieties | favor are:
c.v. Alba Plena, an upright, dou-
ble white.

c.v. Blazeaway,
turns rich crimson
mauve flowers.

golden foliage
in winter;

dwarf,
pink

ev. County Wicklow,
spreading, double: shell
flowers, nice in rock gardens.

ev. Gold Haze, golden yellow
foliage; white flowers.

ow. ALEL Beale. very long spikes

foliage and mauve Mowers,

cw. Tib, double, deep lHlae-pink

flowers on long sp .
There are a great number of

worthy hybrids not mentioned here

and, with a little experimentation,

over the

garden gate
by Geoff Tobiasson

of bright pink, double flowers.

cv. J.H. Hamilton, an early
blooming dwarf with large, pink
flowers.

c.v. Afrs. Konald Gray, grows as
prostrate mat, flowers mauve.

cv. Afulticolor, bright yellow
foliage turns coppery, red, and
crimson tones over winter, mauve
flowers.

c.v. Peter Sparkes, deep
double flowers on long spikes.
c.v. Silver Queen, silvery grey

pink,

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Sunday 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

987-9374 or 985-6155

you could build your own list of
satisfactory varieties,

The daboecia catabrica hybrids
originate from southwest Ireland
and northern Spain. Their larger,

1987 - North Shore News

more shrub-like habit is quite dif-
ferent from the other heaths and
the larger, broader feaves and
flowers tend to enhance the
dissimilarities.

The Mowering period runs from
carly summer until frost and, like
the callunas, pruning should occur
immediately after a bloom spike
dies in order to maintain size and
shape.

Some good varieties are:

d.c. Alba, light green foliage with
white flowers.

dic. Atropurpurea, bronze green
foliage and purple flowers.

d.c. Pracgerea, dark green with
deep pink flowers.

d.c. Rubra, dark green with deep
purple flawers.

The hybrids of erica cinera will
bloom throughout the summer.
They will require full sun and well
drained acid soil to do well. As

See Erica
Page 20

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