HEATHER
SOCIETY —

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THE HEATHER SOCIETY
Affiliated Societies:
Nederlandse Heidervereniging ‘Ericultura’
Gesellschaft der Heidefreunde
North American Heather Soviciy

President:
Mr. C. D. BRICKELL.-V.M.H.
Vice-Presidents:
Mrs. C. I. MacLEOD Mr. D. McCLINTOCK, T.D., F.L-S.
Mrs. D. METHENY

Chairman:
Mayj.-Gen. P. G. TURPIN, C.B., O.B.E.

Secretary:
Mrs. P. B. LEE

Treasurer:
Mr. D. B. OLIVER

Council:
Mr. D. M. EDGE Mr. D. J. T. MAYNE
Mrs. D. EVERETT Mr. H. L. NICHOLSON, M.B.E.
Mr. A. HALL Mr. D. H. E. ROPE
Mr. A. W. JONES Mr. D. J. SMALL
Mrs. D. H. JONES, J.P. Mr. A. J. STOW
Mr. P. L. JOYNER Mr. G. P. VICKERS
Administrator:

Mrs. A. SMALL, Denbeigh, All Saints Road, Creeting St. Mary.
Ipswich, Suffolk IP6 8PJ
Editors:
Bulletin: Mrs. D. EVERETT, Greenacres Nursery. Bringsty.
Worcester WR6 STA
Year Book: Mr. A. W. JONES, Otters’ Court, West Camel, Somerset

BA22 7QF
Registrar:

Mr. D. McCLINTOCK, Bracken Hill, Platt, Sevenoaks, Kent,
TNI15 8JH
Slide Librarian:
Mr. D. J. SMALL, Denbeigh, All Saints Road, Creeting St. Mary,
Ipswich, Suffolk IP6 8PJ.

Contents
Volume 3 No. 7
ISSN 0440 - 5757

DITOR UAT 208 (oe ee eee ei in clea ee Ae 3
FROM THE CHAIRMAN - Maj-Gen. P. G. Turpin... +
ANNUAL CONFERENCE, GREGYNOG,

SEPTEMBER 1988 EMG Je Blut oe eee eee ee eee 5

THE EFFECT OF FROST - WINTER 1984 - 1985 -
ON MY HEATHER COLLECTION -

Comite Bernard de lav Rochetoucauld ee 1]
HEATH GROWING IN JAPAN - Satoshi Miwa... 13
A NOTE ON CULTIVAR NAMES IN FANCY FORM -

David Mc Chinto kis ne 0 eu ye een eco ee 16
PESTS AND DISEASES OF HEATHERS - Audrey M. Justice ....17
PROPAGATION - BACK TO BASICS - Arnold Stow................. 29

THE ERICA SCOPARIA IN MADIERA - David McClintock ....32. 2
ERICA MANIPULIFLORA SALISB. IN SOUTHERN

YUGOSLAVIA, OCTOBER 1988 - A. W. Jones voices 36-1
HEATHERS AND HEATHLANDS - David Small... 44
THE “VIRIDIFLORA” VARIANTS OF CORNISH HEATH -

David: MeClntock re es oe Ia SCM SE esDe area a 51
HEATHER RECORDS - David McClintock .u...ccccccceccssseseeeeee 54 4

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES FOR SOUTHERN AFRICAN

ERICAS = Davids Me@limtock Uo Ge or ee a 60
PERSONAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES

FOR HARDY HEATHERS - 7th SUPPLEMENT -

David McClintock 08 aE DATED, NS oid Cees omen 63
CULTIVARS REGISTERED DURING 1983 - The Registrar ...65
NEW ACOUISEEIONS ss\J @Rlatt See a SO eee 66
RECENT WRITINGS ON HEATHERS, 1988.00... 70
NURSERYMEN MEMBERS ....2..005. ouccee ee eeee VY
LOGCAE ORGANISERS isis oe es 81
COMMITTEE, MEMBERS... .cce00 ee eee 83

Printed by Yeoprint, 3 Limber Road, Lufton Trading Estate, Yeovil, Somerset. Tel: 26009

YEAR BOOK 1989

Editorial

Writing these notes unusually late in the year has
allowed me to reflect on the effects of a hot dry summer in
the south of the country. My records show that the total rain-
fall here for May and June was exactly the same as for those
two months in 1976. At 30mm it was about 28% of the
average for that period. The July figure was close to the
average, but most of it fell during 24 hours on the 7th and 8th
of the month and was therefore of less value than if it had
been spread more evenly. Thereafter the dry weather con-
tinued. The mean temperatures throughout the summer
were very similar to those of 1976.

There were hose pipe bans. The gardening articles in the
newspapers told us how to conserve the little water that was
available, and, somewhat belatedly, which plants were best
able to withstand the drought conditions.

On trips through the New Forest I felt that the heather
was not blooming as profusely as in other years Perhaps it
had been grazed more heavily as the grass was scarce. In the
garden there was a paucity of good cutting material. The
heathers will surely have suffered in many gardens, as they
did in 1976.

It seems that the species which are most widely planted
here do not relish high temperatures and drought, but what
of the Mediterranean species that regularly encounter these
conditions in the wild? The brief descriptions of their
habitats in Flora Europaea indicate that Erica arborea and
E. terminalis favour damp, shady places, though the former
is usually found in drier evergreen scrub, E. sicula on cliffs,
and E. manipuliflora and E. multiflora grow on dry rocky
hillsides. It is interesting to note that all these species can be
found on the more calcareous soils. Do they possess power-
ful roots which can penetrate below rocks to take advantage
of the moisture they may find there? It is certain that old
specimens of E. arborea produce large roots which are
highly prized for the manufacture of “briar” pipes.

3

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

Few of us grow E. multiflora or E. sicula in our gardens.
Have E. arborea, E. manipuliflora and E. terminalis fared
better than other species during the drought of 1989? I know
that E. terminalis always produces a better show here in hot
dry summers than in damp wet ones.

From the Chairman

Maj.-Gen. P. G. Turpin, C.B., O.B.E.
West Clandon, Surrey.

Membership of the Heather Society covers a wide field
of interests. Some of our members are botanists, with a
special interest in taxonomy and the structural differences
of various species and hybrids. They are happiest, when
they are looking at their heathers through a microscope or
examining the differences between pressed specimens in a
herbarium. Others are enthusiastic collectors of newly-
named cultivars, or like searching in the wild for something
new or unusual. Nurserymen members are always on the
look-out for plants which are likely to have a
commercial future.

But most of us just like growing heathers in our gardens,
regardless of technicalities and without worrying too much
about the complications of nomenclature.

Whatever our particular interest we are all drawn
together by a common love of heathers, as was amply
demonstrated at our recent Conference at Gregynog, where
members from four Continents, from widely differing back-
grounds, spent a happy weekend together, talking about
heathers and sharing their experiences of growing and
cherishing this delightful group of plants.

There is a place in our Society for anyone who can
appreciate the beauty of heather either as a wild flower or as
a garden plant.

YEAR BOOK 1989

Annual Conference, Gregynog, September
1988

H. M. J. Blum, Steenwijkerwold, Holland.

The long drive into the sun with David McClintock from
Kent to Gregynog, a residential education centre of the
University of Wales at Tregynon, took seven hours. We
arrived at 7 p.m., too late for the reception and tea; dinner
was just ready.

After a good meal and settling in our rooms there was
time for getting acquainted. Bert Jones nominated me to
report on this Jubilee Conference of the Soceity, 25 years
after its foundation.

78 members were present, 69 of them resident in
Gregynog itself. Eight countries were represented (Aus-
tralia, England, Holland, Ireland, Norway, Scotland,
Sweden, U.S.A. and Wales).

After a short welcome by Maj.-Gen. P. G. Turpin, the
Conference started with a talk by Dr. Glyn Hughes, the
Warden of Gregynog, who told us about the house and its
interesting history.

At 10 p.m. there was time for more informal contact,
which I was not alone in enjoying. A very good start.

Saturday morning started with a report on “The Twelve
Heathers Introduced in the Past 25 Years Which Members
Like Best”. David McClintock had asked all members
(Bulletin, Summer 1988) to send him a list of their own
12 favourites.

Before Mr. McClintock gave the results he mentioned
that Gen. Turpin had now been the invaluable Chairman of

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

the Heather Society for 10 years. This reminder was greeted
with grateful applause.

It was a great pity that only 27 of the almost 1500 mem-
bers had sent in their lists of favourites. Those who had, had
together chosen 100 different cultivars, some of which were
much older than 25 years (.e.g. Erica carnea ‘King George’).
On two lists there were no cultivars of Calluna vulgaris, and
on three none of E. carnea.

Calluna vulgaris ‘Kinlochruel’ was the absolute winner.
In second place came E. carnea ‘Myretoun Ruby’, which is
maybe just a little older than 25 years, and E. arborea
‘Albert’s Gold’ was chosen in third place. With fewer votes
followed E. x stuartii ‘Irish Lemon’, E. erigena ‘Irish Dusk’
and ‘Golden Lady’, E. vagans ‘Valerie Proudley’, E. carnea
‘Foxhollow,, ‘R. B. Cooke’ and “Westwood Yellow’, E.
arborea ‘Estrella Gold’ and E. cinerea ‘Stephen Davis’.
Calluna vulgaris ‘Silver Knight’ had got the same number of
votes.

Strikingly, many yellow-leaved cultivars seemed to be
favourites. Some of the cultivars which had received fewer
than five votes were also discussed. Nevertheless, it was sad
that so few members had sent in lists, for the idea and the
presentation were very good.

After coffee Mrs. Diane Jones gave a fine talk entitled
“Heather Garden Design - A Practical Approach”. She told
us that she had had no formal training in design, she would
only give her personal views on it.

The starting point of a design is to find answers to such
questions as what plants and trees are already growing on
the site, what is the prevailing wind direction and is protec-
tion needed? Some of her other advice was that heathers are
sun-, light- and air-loving plants so, never plant them under
trees or in the shade of houses, hedges, walls,fences or tall
plants. Heathers are often planted in the wrong places, and

YEAR BOOK 1989

it is not fair then to expect good results. If people want
heathers in their garden, and there is no other suitable place
than in the centre of the lawn, then plant them there. Mak-
ing a heather garden on slopes and terraces is more effective
than on flat ground. Terrace-effects may be made with walls
of stone, brick or peat blocks. On flat ground a pleasing
effect may be obtained by using plants of different
heights.

Straight lines are not found in natural landscapes, so
make paths and edges curved. Plant cultivars in groups to
make a good colour effect, contrasting foliage and flower
colour.

Throughout her talk Mrs. Jones showed us slides of dif-
ferent gardens, and pointed out what was of special interest
in each of them.

After lunch two coaches drove us to Craven Arms where
we visited “Oldfield Garden” of Mr. and Mrs. Paul
Housden. It was a very fine garden with perennials, rock
plants and fruit trees.

The Ridgeway Heather Nursery of Mrs. B. Evans was the
next point of our programme. A good heather planting in
front of the house contained E. carnea ‘Spring Day’ which
was completely new to us.There was a small nursery near
the house with about 100 different heathers cultivars, grown
in pots. It was surprising to me, and I saw it almost
everywhere I went in England, to find the name E. x
darleyensis ‘Silver Beads used instead of the correct name
‘Silberschmelze’. I do not understand why this should be so.
after so many years of work by the Heather Society.

A visit to a heather nursery by heather people means that
some plants must be bought. I saw several members with
boxes full of plants. The same thing happens in Holland
when our Society organizes an excursion to a nursery. We
simply have to bring some new plants home with us.

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

After several pleasant hours in fine weather, which
could not have been better during the whole Conference,
the coaches brought us back to Gregynog.

In the evening Mr. A. J. Hancock, head gardener of
Powis Castle, gave us an illustrated talk on what we should
see there next day.

The Annual General Meeting was held on Sunday
morning. In his inaugural speech Maj.-Gen. Turpin ©
referred to some of the articles in the 1988 Year Book which
had already given a survey of the Society's achievements
during its first 25 years. He was saddened by the death of Dr.
Violet Gray, the widow of Dr. Ronald Gray. He mentioned
that there was now some progress with the Reference
Collection at Wisley, and that planting should begin in the
autumn. The British Heather Growers Association will be
selecting the best stocks of many popular cultivars in trials
at several locations. Finally he thanked those who had done
so much work for the Society.

The election of officers and members of Council gave no
problems, and all were re-elected.

After reports by the Secretary Mrs. P. Lee, and the
Treasurer Mr. D. B. Oliver, the meeting finished
promptly.

After coffee Dr. John Griffiths gave his talk on “Further
Progress on Experiments in Heather Hybridisation”. This
was to be the high point of the Conference for me. I was
especially interested because I have followed, as closely as
possible, the activities of Dr. Griffiths, D. Wilson, and par-
ticularly Kurt Kramer in Germany. Again I can refer to the
last issue of the Year Book in which Dr. Griffiths had writ-
ten about his work, so I will only dip into the subject
here.

YEAR BOOK 1989

He started by telling us that if all 18 European Erica
species were crossed with each other there would be 306
possibilities. Some species do not look promising for hyb-
ridisation because, for instance, their range of flower colour
is limited.

He showed us some fine slides of his work, and the
remarkable plants that resulted from his experiments. A
cross between E. tetralix “Alba Mollis’ and E. vagans
‘Valerie Proudley brought him a good E. x williamsii with
yellow tips to the new growth. E. tetralix ‘Bartinny’ x E.
vagans Valerie Proudley produced a minute hybrid with
yellow foliage. This wonderful plant which already has a
name, but ... not yet for publication. Dr. Griffiths attributes
- the fact that so few examples of E. x williamsii have been
found in the wild to many seedlings being weak and slow
growing. They are therefore usually smothered by stronger
plants before they come to maturity.

Crosses between E. tetralix ‘Con Underwood’, and both
a white-flowered E. ciliaris and ‘Corfe Castle’ have pro-
duced some promising new E. x watsoni1. One of the plants
with ‘Corfe Castle’ as a parent has been judged to be worth a
provisional name.

Some progress in producing crosses between E.
mackaiana and E. tetralix,, and so obtaining new E. x
stuartii plants, seems possible since Spanish plants of the
former species are fertile, unlike those in Ireland.

E. manipuliflora x E. vagans ‘Valerie Proudley’ pro-
duced a fine vigorous plant with yellow foliage and pink
flowers. He has named this ‘Valerie Griffiths’ after his
wife.

Hybridising heathers has a great future in my opinion. It
will bring us many good new plants, especially when
European and Cape Heaths are crossed. The first steps have

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

already been taken in this direction by Kurt Kramer. At the
time of writing this report I have seen the first buds on his
plants of E. arborea x E. carnea.

After the usual group photograph and lunch, two
coaches brought us to Powis Castle near Welshpool to visit
the world-famous hanging terraces and gardens. Colourful
perennials in fine settings, enormous yew hedges and the
scope of the place made this an unforgettable afternoon.

An excellent Celebration Dinner awaited us at
Gregynog, and after that an Open Forum. Bert Jones and
David McClintock described a journey they made with
David Small to Holland and Germany (see Bulletin,
Summer 1988.p6).Bert showed us very fine pictures of Kurt
Kramer's E. carnea crosses, of the trial ground at the Hor-
ticultural Research Station at Bad Zwischenahn, of the for-
mer heather garden at Steenwijkerwold where I was the
gardener until 1985, of van Hoef’s heather nursery at Bar-
neveld and the new Research Station at Boskoop.

Mrs. Brita Johansson of Vargon, Sweden gave a short
but very interesting account with slides of her special
Calluna finds from the wild near her home. One abnor-
mality was a plant with wine-red sepal-like “leaves” at the
tip of each shoot. This produces a pleasant effect on a plant
which has not yet flowered. She also showed a cutting of a
micro-plant, the leaves of which can only be seen through a
lens. She told us about her yellow-leaved E. tetralix “Swedish
Yellow’, Calluna ‘Kerstin’, and the only known double-
flowered find from her country ‘Brita Elisabeth’.

The programme ended, and some of us met for a drink
and to continue the discussion in the bar.

The next morning after breakfast it was time for

farewells and travelling home. It had been a well-organised
Conference, with an excellent atmosphere between the

10

YEAR BOOK 1989

members and very good weather. For your reporter, who
returned home via the Warner's nursery, it had been an
enjoyable experience, as it had for all who attended, thanks
to the organisers.

28 2K 2K 2k 3k

The Effect of Frost — Winter 1984 - 1985 - on
my Heather Collection

Comte Bernard de la Rochefoucauld, Ingrannes,
Nr. Orleans, France.

On the 10th of January 1985, after a mild autumn and
warm Christmas, the temperature suddenly went down. In
four days it reached -27°C, and stayed there for two weeks. It
was followed in Febraury by -16°C for one week: then by
four days with -12°C in March. And to end it all by -8°C on
the 24th of April

The lawns were still being mowed at Christmas, which is
exceptional. The plants, especially evergreens, were still in
active growth. Erica lusitanica was flowering.

After this Irish climate, suddenly, in four days, we were
in Siberia. Plants were brutally seized by this heavy and
unusual cold. No snow was in sight; the soil was bare
and damp.

Before mid-January the river Loire was in ice; two
bridges were destroyed by ice floes before the whole river
was frozen over. Green houses ceased to provide protection.
No heating equipment was designed to resist such
weather. i

After two months our garden was a wreck, and we had no
idea what to do. An old English friend I called up for advice

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

answered “Put your shears and saws in the cellar and hide
the key, leave the place and come back in June”. In June that
year the visit of the IDS (International Dendrology Society)
was planned. So we just had to put the place in order.

The damage to our heather collection was as follows:
Calluna. No damage. The drought in the summer of 1976
had damaged them heavily.

Erica ciliaris. All destroyed. No aftergrowth.

E. cinerea. All destroyed, except for the young plants one or |
two years old and the cuttings. No aftergrowth. E. cinerea
grows wild around here. This illustrates the very unusual
climatic conditions (active growth in a mild winter, no
snow protection).

E. erigena. All destroyed. Hardly any aftergrowth.

FE. mackaiana. All destroyed. No aftergrowth.

E. tetralix. Very nearly all destroyed, except for young plants
one or two years old. E. tetralix. grows in the wild here.
EF. vagans. All destroyed. No aftergrowth. Again, young
plants survived. E. vagans grows in the wild about 50 miles
south of here.

E. x darleyensis. All destroyed. No aftergrowth except young
plants.

F. x stuartii. Good resistance.

FE. x watsonii. Destroyed, except young plants.

E. x williamsii. Destroyed, except young plants.

E. scoparia. Destroyed, but vigorous aftergrowth. Grows in
the wild here.

FE. umbellata. Totally destroyed.

E. australis. Totally destroyed.

E. arborea. (Southern France). Destroyed.

E. arborea ‘Alpina’ (Spain). Destroyed, but vigorous
aftergrowth.

E. lusitanica. Totally destroyed.

E. terminalis. Good resistance.

E. x veitchii. Destroyed.

Daboecia. Excellent resistance. No destruction, only cut-
back. They flowered in June ’86.

Bruckenthalia. No problems.

12

YEAR BOOK 1989

Here now is an idea of other plant damage.

Cistus. Destroyed, except young plants.

Buddleia. Destroyed.

Cassinia. Destroyed.

Ceanothus. Destroyed, except ‘Gloire de Versailles’ and
‘Marie Simon’.

Ceratostigma. Destroyed.

Choisya. Destroyed.

Escallonia. Destroyed.

Hebe. Destroyed. >

Magnolia. Very good resistance, except for old (over three
Year) plants of grandiflora and for the Himalayan
‘Campbelli’. We grow 160 species and hybrids. The test
was most interesting.

Nothofagus. All gone except antarctica.

Vitex. Gone.

Cupressus. Gone.

Phlomis. Destroyed, but restarted from the roots.

Heath Growing in Japan

Satosh1 Miwa, Hamamatsu, Japan.

As a name of plant, Erica has been very well known in
Japan, though its whole image is only little appreciated.
Since introduced about 75 years ago, E. canaliculata has
been practically the only heath for most Japanese
horticulturalists. Of course, many other Cape or European
heaths and heathers have been introduced to Japan, almost
none of them were seen in florist shops or in gardens. Only
in the past ten years or so, a few species of Cape heaths are
becoming popular as pot flowers.

E. canaliculata is widely grown in the milder parts along

the south-western Pacific coast, mainly as a cut flower for
winter market and also in some quantity as a pot flower.

13

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

Shiro Uruma, a pioneer heath grower in Numazu, selec-
ted a darker coloured sport of E. canaliculata about 1935. It
has been a general opinion that the plant most grown
nowadays is this, named ‘Red Queen’ but I have never been
sure which plant is this and which the original.

A hybrid Cape heath bearing long tubular flowers
named ‘Christmas Parade’ was introduced to the market
about 1975. It brings about another confusion. The plant
introduced under that name has rose-red flowers which
bloom at Christmas time. A few years later, a clearly
different plant bearing rose flowers with white petal tips
came out under the same name of ‘Christmas Parade’. As
the latter is more robust and easier to grow, it has taken over
the name ‘Christmas Parade’ in the trade in recent years.
The former is rarely seen at present.

I suppose these two are selected clones of E. x hyemalis
and ‘Christmas Parade’, used in Japan, is not the correct
name. No information has been found on when, how and
who introduced these and what the correct cultivar names
are. So far as I have observed, two more similar plants have
been marketed under this same name.

Any way, Erica ‘Christmas Parade’ is one of our popular
pot flowers these days in the winter season.

E. gracilis, very well known in continental Europe, is
only grown to a limited extent in Japan as it tends to bloom
with two dull flowering peaks in winter and also in summer.
It is therefore not fully floriferous at either season. In
addition, it is less heat tolerant and is apt to suffer in
summer.,

For about five years from 1983 I have grown more than
50 species of Cape heaths to see if some are suitable for the
Japanese market as pot flowers. Ten or more species were
selected and propagating material distributed to keen

14

YEAR BOOK 1989

nurserymen for trials. Some of them have been successfully
introduced to the market by these growers.

E. sparsa (syn.E. floribunda) was.introduced first and
given a favourable reception. This plant is fully covered
with tiny lilac pink bells in winter and forms an excellent
pot flower. Moreover, it is a robust grower and now
gradually replacing E. canaliculata.

E. formosa bears plenty of white bells making a good
contrast with its dark green foliage. E. blandfordia draws
attention to its very showy yellow bells. E. hirtiflora has
numerous small pink flowers in earlyspring and E. bauera,
Bridal Heath, carries pink or white inflated tubular flowers
in clusters mainly in spring. They are all establishing their
reputation in the market.

These successes in introduction of new Ericas owes every
much to the efforts of Masato Shiota, a keen pot flower
grower in Hamamatsu.

Regarding European heaths and heathers, I see little
possibility to use them for garden plants in most parts of
Japan in the same manner as they are generally used in
Western countries. Although most European heaths and
heathers are of course hardy enough against our winter
temperatures, the dry cold wind often severerely damages
them without protection. Additionally, our tropical summer
climate causes die back of branches. Therefore, it is hard to
keep these plants in good condition for years. In the limited
areas, such as Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of
Japan there will be a chance of getting satisfactory results,
though this has scarcely been examined.

A few European heaths, probably E. carnea or E. x
darleyensis are occasionally marketed as pot flowers but
they are hardly noticed. Shiota has tried to make bonsai
with some coloured foliage cultivars of Calluna. The

15

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

combination of three or four different foliage colours of
small plants within a single pan results in an excellent
winter decoration.

In Japan, E. canaliculata has long been the only species
of heath widely grown outdoors, therefore many
horticulturalists have a false fixed idea that all heaths
including European species are adapted only to a mild
climate.

A Note on Cultivar Names in Fancy
Form

David McClintock, Platt, Kent.

Nowadays, or at least since 1959 when only fancy
names, and not those in Latin form, were permissible for
cultivars, we take such names for granted. But hardy
heathers were a late group of plants to use names like this,
and I wonder why growers were so slow to do what others
had done something like a century before.

In the 18th century and into the 20th, all the names used
for these heathers were in Latin form. Most of these were
little more than descriptive terms, such as ‘Rubra’ for red
flowers, ‘Pallida’ for pale ones and so on, with no suggestion
that all the plants under such names were of the same clone.
Indeed we can be sure that in at least some instances, e.g.
‘Flore Pleno’, they were not. Only with names derived from
people or places can we feel happier that the plants we now
grow may be the same as the originals. But even these
Latinised personal names for hardy heathers do not date as
far back as Camellia ‘Chandleri Elegans’ of about 1822 or
Rhododendron ‘Nobleanum’ of 1835 or Cape Heaths, such
as ‘Dickinsonii’ of about 1810. Our oldest seem to be
‘Hammondii’ which was going in 1850 followed by ‘Serlei’,

16

YEAR BOOK 1989

‘Foxii’ and ‘Alportii’, all in 1867 — and we still do not know
who any of these people were. ‘Serlei’ even in that year
spelt in three different ways.

It seems that only in 1911 did any hardy heath get a fancy
name, when Backhouse of York brought out the beautiful
leather-bound catalogue illustrating in colour carneas
found in Italy by Richard Potter (who was he?). These were
‘King George (V)’, ‘Queen mary’, ‘Prince of Wales’ and
‘Queen of Spain in honour of the coronation, as well as °C.
J. Backhouse’, ‘James Backhouse’, ‘Mrs. S. Doncaster’, and
Thos. Kingscote’ (who was he?), ‘Pink Pearl’ and “Winter
Beauty’, as well as ‘Gracilis’ and “Praecox Rubra’ in the old
Latin form. ‘Mr. Robert was in print in 1916, and named by
W. J. Bean; and in 1921 D. F. Maxwell was following suit
with ‘Frances’ and ‘Ruby’s Variety’, to be succeeded in 1925
by many more. notably “Mrs. D. F. Maxwell. “Mrs. Dill’
appeared about the same time, and very soon after “Rose
Queen’ from Gauntletts.

Why were hardy heather growers so tardy in using the
sorts of names that others had used for so long? — e.g.
‘Cunningham’s White’ and other Rhododendrons by about
1850, Camellia “Adolphe Audosson’ about 1875, and Roses
from much earlier — Brown's ‘Superb Blush’ 1815. “Rose de
Roi’ 1816 and so on, Why?

Pests and Diseases of Heathers

Audrey M. Justice, The West of Scotland College,
Ayr.

REASONS FOR CURRENT PEST AND DISEASE
PROBLEMS

In the past, those who were concerned with producing or
planting heaths and heathers would agree that pests and

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

diseases posed few problems at any stage of plant growth or
development. Heathers were considered to be largely resis-
tant to pests and diseases.

Sadly, this is no longer the case, at least as far as the com-
mercial grower is concerned. In past years, heathers were
propagated from cuttings taken from stock plants which
were grown in soil outdoors. These cuttings were taken in
late Summer and overwintered in cold frames before being
potted or transplanted in the Spring. It took up to two years
to produce saleable heathers, which were sold as rootballed,
containerised or container grown plants. The plants were
grown slowly, and lived up to their oft used title, “hardy
heathers’”.

However the past decade has seen massive changes in
the production methods used by commercial heather
growers. The great majority of heathers are now sold
through garden centres concerned purely with retailing.
Such establishments, which abound in the U.K., demand a
continuous supply of healthy plants in large numbers and
lay down specific requirements as to appearance and
quality of their stock, which the nurseryman must
adhere to.

Its hardly surprising that growing methods have
changed in order to meet these demands. Many growers
now keep stock plants in pots and/or under polythene
tunnels to promote lush, healthy growth for cuttings.
Cuttings are rooted under polythene, or on mist benches in
two to four weeks and are frequently being taken for nine
months of the year using heated beds in the colder weather.
Potted heathers are often grown on in polythene tunnels,
and fertilisers are used throughout the production cycle to
speed up and improve growth. Acrop of cuttings can now be
taken, rooted, potted, grown on and sold in one season,
using modern nursery materials and methods. So where lies
the problem?

18

YEAR BOOK 1989

Heathers are now being grown in greater numbers than
ever before, mainly on fairly large, specialist nurseries. The
widely fluctuating temperatures and humid environment
within polythene tunnels, coupled with the fact that large
numbers of heathers are often closely packed, create ideal
conditions for disease development and pest attack. This is
made worse by the fact that fertiliser use produces soft, lush
growth which is much more prone to attack than was pre-
viously the case. ’

Diseases and pests are now a part of everyday life on
commercial holdings, and their control is no easy matter, as
heathers are extremely sensitive to many of the modern crop
protection chemicals. The use of some fungicides, for
example can create problems worse than those created by
the disease! This article aims to describe the more common
pests and diseases which occur on heathers, and the control
measures which amateur heather growers can take to main-
tain healthy stock.

PESTS OF HEATHERS
Leatherjackets

Occasionally these are a problem with heathers in the
garden, but more commonly a problem in container grown
plants. The pests, which are the larvae of the crane fly, are
grey-brown, are up to 5cm long and feed on the roots and
stems of many plants including heathers. Most damage is
done in the Spring, although it can occur at other times of
year, particularly in tunnels. Affected plants look sickly and
may wilt and turn brown.

Commercial growers use chemical pellets, dusts or
drenches containing compounds such as _ diazinon,
bromophos, and chlorpyrifos to control leatherjackets. Not
all of the best compounds are available to amateur
gardeners; however some which contain one or more of the
former two chemicals plus lindane, phoxim or thiram, are.

19

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

These should be applied according to the manufacturer's
instructions when leatherjackets cause problems. Some
examples of available products include, Secto Root and
Stem Insecticide Powder and Fisons Soil Pest Killer.

Sciarid flies

Also known as mushroom flies, these small, dark midge-
like flies are attracted to decaying organic matter such as is
present in potting compost and mulches. Most species are of
no importance as pests, but the larvae of some can feed on
young heather roots, particularly those of cuttings, causing
significant damage. Attacks are usually worse in
glasshouses or tunnels, where high temperatures favour
continuous breeding.

The presence of Sciarid flies does not necessarily mean
that plants will be damaged, since there are many harmless
species, but if signs of attack are evident, the amateur
heather grower can use insecticidal drenches or dusts con-
taining lindane, malathion or diazinon. For example, All
Purpose Garden Insecticide, (Secto Co. Ltd.) and Murphy
Root Guard.

Red Spider Mite

These tiny mites, just visible to the naked eye are a
yellow-green colour for most of the year and can cause
significant damage to heathers in tunnels, frames and
glasshouses, particularly between June and September. The
mites spin cocoons and webs and feed on the foliage of
heathers, (and many other horticultural species). Affected
plants will appear poorly coloured, may develop brown
areas and are generally of low quality.

One of the simplest ways of checking Spider Mite attacks
is to spray the plants with a fine mist of water two or three
times a day. The mites will not thrive in high humidity and
numbers will start to drop. Red Spider Mite attacks are

20

YEAR BOOK 1989

frequently most severe on plants which are already under
some sort of stress. For example older plants, or plants grow-
ing with insufficient light/water/fertiliser, etc. will be much
more prone to attack. If good growing conditions are main-
tained, and the plants are kept healthy and vigorouos, few
problems should be encountered from this pest. If plants
have become infested, further infestation in following years
can be avoided if all the affected plants are removed and
burnt. Hygiene is important, and all old bits of plant
material, straw, canes etc. that could harbour hibernating
mites should be removed from the area. Thorough washing
and sterilising of glasshouses, tunnels and frames is of great
benefit to reduce the number of overwintering females.

Chemical control is rarely effective when using the pro-
ducts available to amateur gardeners. Biological control
using predatory mites is effective in some cases. Further
information on the use of this technique is available from
the Royal Horticultural Society.

Vine Weevil

These can cause serious problems in heathers grown
under protection, but damage can also occur in heathers in
the garden. The larvae, which are small white grubs with
brown faces, live around the heather roots, and can eat
almost all the roots before foliar damage is noticed, by
which time it is of course too late for effective treatment .The
adult weevil, which is 6 to 7 mm long and dark in colour, is
difficult to spot, particularly as it hides during the day. The
grubs are very difficult to kill once infection has occured
and only preventative measures will control this pest.
Amateur gardeners will not find it easy to control Vine
Weevil, as the most effective chemicals are not available to
them. Insecticides containing Lindane, (e.g. Gamma B.H.C.
Dust), may prove effective to a certain extent.

21

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

Heather beetle

The heather beetle rarely causes a problem in the U.K.
except occasionally on moorlands and country heather gar-
dens. The beetles and their larvae destroy the terminal
buds and young leaves causing death of shoots. The larvae
feed from late May onwards and are a pale green to brown
shade. The young beetles appear in August to September
and are around 5 to 6 mm long, olive brown in colour and
have a black head.

No chemicals are available to amateur gardeners for
heather beetle control. Damage may be avoided if the young
shoots are trimmed off before they are attacked.

DISEASES OF HEATHERS
Root infecting fungi
Phytophthora and Phythium

Of all the root infecting pathogens, (i.e. disease causing
organisms), Phythophthora is potentially the most serious.
It causes widespread browning and death of plants on nur-
series when present. However it is thankfully not common
in this country. Pythium is a very common fungus, present
in garden and nursery soils, composts and in ground water
and water tanks. Although it grows happily on dead organic
material, it is an opportunistic pathogen, i.e. it can take the
opportunity to attack heathers when they are under any sort
of stress, however mild. It has been shown to cause foliar
browning and reduced root development in cuttings and is
often implicated in browning of container grown heathers.
These fungi attack the fine feeder roots of heathers and
interfere with transport of water and nutrients to the above
ground plant parts. Shoot tips may wilt and progressive
browning of the foliage may be observed.

22

YEAR BOOK 1989

Both Pythium and Phytophthora produce spores in
moist conditions. These are spread in ground water in
compost and soil and in irrigation systems. Nurserymen
can use fungicides to guard against Phytophthora and
Pythium, but such chemicals are not available to private
gardeners. A good plan is to accept the presence of Pythium
in the garden, and try to ensure that it gets no opportunity to
attack. If heathers are healthy, vigorous and under little or
no stress, then Pythium will find little or no chance to move
in and cause damage.

Rhizoctonia

_ There are many strains of this pathogen, some of which
are capable of causing serious damage to heathers of all
ages, both in gardens and under protection. Cuttings can be
particularly badly affected and may be killed outright in a
matter of days if conditions permit. Cuttings may show
browning from the base upwards and in severe cases
become covered in a fine web-like mycelium, (i.e. long fine
threads of tissue). Older plants also become infected from
the base. They turn brown at or near soil level, the bark on
the lower branches becomes soft, and web-like mycelium
may be seen.

Like Pythium, Rhizoctonia is a very common fungus
and is present in garden soil, but it is not present, (under
normal circumstances), in freshly prepared peat composts.
Not all strains of Rhizoctonia will cause damage to
heathers. Unlike Pythium and Phytophthora, Rhizoctonia
produces no spores and spreads only by means of its
mycelium. It can also be transferred from place to place on
fragments of organic matter, garden implements and boot
soles, etc.

The fungicide which is available (only to nurserymen),

is of limited value in controlling this pathogen. Cultural
measures are therefore very important. Rhizoctonia thrives

23

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

under conditions of high humidity and tends to cause more
damage when plants are under stress, so every attempt must
be made to opotimise conditions for plant growth and make
things difficult for the fungus. Avoid leaving cuttings
covered in polythene for too long, and maintain plant
once rooted. Space plants out, thus avoiding overcrowding
and keep plants well watered and fed until planting out.
Providing heathers are healthy when planted out,
Rhizoctonia will rarely cause problems in a garden, unless
conditions are unfavourable for good plant growth.

Honey fungus, Armillaria mellea

This highly damaging pathogen is frequently found on
sites near to old trees/stumps and is capable of attacking
almost all woody plants. It can cause browning and death of
heaths and heathers in gardens and often produces tawny
yellow toadstools in the Autumn which help to identify the
problem. The fungus lives on old wood and can spread for
long distances through the soil as bootlace-like strands of
aggregated mycelium termed rhizomorphs. Spores pro-
duced from the toadstools can also act as a means of
spread.

Treatment is very difficult. If the source of infection is
known, then it should be removed and burnt as soon as
possible, along with all other diseased plants. Chemical
destruction of stumps is not usually effective. Once
removed, no woody plants should be planted in the same
spot for at least a year. If the source can't be traced, then
trenches or buried vertical sheeting (at least 24” deep) can be
used to protect areas from fungal attack. Phenolic
emulsions can be used to control the spread of disease, but
unless the source is removed, these powerful chemicals may
need annual re-application.

Heather die-back, Marasmius androsaceus

This disease occurs mainly on moorlands and semi-wild

24

YEAR BOOK 1989

gardens in moorland areas. Clusters of small toadstools
develop mainly on older shoots. Branches are seen to die
back and whole plants may die. The fungus spreads by
means of horse hair-like rhizomorphs in a similar way to
honey fungus. There are no effective control measures, but
controlled burning of existing heather may help to destroy
some of the pathogen and promote more vigorous new
growth which will be more resistant to further attack.

Cylindrocarpon and Fusarium species

Both of these fungi are common in garden soil and were
formerly thought of as being fairly harmless as far as
heathers were concerned. However they have recently been
isolated from the roots of diseased heathers on commercial
nurseries. The reason for this is not known. It may be that
modern fungicide programmes are killing large quantities
of beneficial fungi along with the pathogenic types, thus
leaving the weakly pathogenic fungi with a clear route to
attack the heather plants. At present there is no evidence of
these pathogens becoming a problem in gardens, or on non
commercially produced heathers.

Foliar fungi
Botrytis cinerea

This is one of the most damaging pathogens on both
amateur and commercial heather nurseries. It grows on
both dead and live material and causes most damage at the
propagation stage, when cuttings are being rooted in a
warm, humid environment, although older plants can be
severely affected if conditions are suitable for infection.
Foliage can be seen to turn brown on affected areas, and it
may become covered in grey-brown spore masses, (just vis-
ible with the naked eye). Cuttings can be killed and large
numbers of plants rendered unsaleable.

25

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

Botrytis is a ubiquitous pathogen which spreads by
means of tiny, light airborne spores. There is little point in
trying to exclude the spores completely from glasshouses or
propagation beds, as they are almost certainly there any-
way!

However, good hygiene, i.e. removal of any dead, dying
or unhealthy material, will help to reduce the number of
spores. In addition to this, successful control depends on the
manipulation of growing conditions to favour heather
growth rather than fungal growth.

Commercial nurserymen use a combination of
fungicidal sprays to prevent Botrytis infection, and amateur
gardeners may also find it beneficial to drench or spray cut-
tings with Benlate, Boots Garden Fungicide etc. However
many strains of Botrytis have now developed resistance to
Benlate and several other fungicides.

Provided every attempt is made to reduce the tempera-
ture and humidity as soon as possible after heather cuttings
have rooted, and free air movement is then allowed, Botrytis
should present few problems for the amateur heather
grower.

Botrytis may pose problems in older heathers when they
are grown in very close proximity either in pots, (for
example commercially produced stock plants) or in
gardens. Botrytis normally only causes problems in gardens
on susceptible cultivars when weather conditions are warm
and humid. One of the best ways of getting rid of Botrytis on
planted heathers is simply to remove the infected plants and
burn them. However a thorough pruning of affected
branches and/or a thinning of plants in affected beds may
help to solve the problem. Fungicidal sprays or drenches
may also help

Pestalotiopsis guepini
This is another opportunistic fungus which tends to
attack when heathers are not growing strongly. It causes

foliage die-back, and the small fruiting bodies may

26

YEAR BOOK 1989

sometimes be seen on the branches. Provision of optimum
growing conditions for the plants, i.e. good air circulation,
plenty of light and a well balanced nutrition should greatly
reduce the chances of this disease causing a problem.
fungicides such as Bordeaux mixture and Benlate, which
may help to control Pestalotiopsis, are rarely necessary
unless heathers are being commercially produced ona large
scale.

Mildew — Ojidium ericinum

An uncommon pathogen which grows on the leaves and
stems and gives them a white powdery appearance. The
leaves may turn brown and fall off from the base of the
branches upwards. Fungicides such as Tumbleblite,
Nimrod-T and Fungus Fighter may help to control this dis-
ease, but they are rarely necessary. Mildew which ts present
on plants grown under protection will frequently disappear
as soon as the heathers are planted out.

Heather Rust - Uredo ericae

Heather rust is identified by its orange yellow, dusty
spores which are seen in clumps on the leaves. It can cause
premature leaf fall and a general loss in condition. Rust is
not common on heaths and heathers, but if it does occur it is
not easily treated. Fungicides such as Tumbleblite,
Dithane and Bordeaux mixture may help if the disease is
caught early enough.

Conclusions

This article is not intended to strike fear into the hearts
of amateur heather growers! As previously stated, many of
the disease problems which commercial growers are
currently facing have arisen as a result of changes in grow-
ing materials and methods, many of which now favour dis-
ease development. The situation is usually very different on
small amateur heather nurseries.

27

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

Attention to the following points will greatly reduce any
potential pest and disease probiems.

1. When propagating heathers from cuttings, use only
material from vigorous, healthy stock plants. Cuttings from
old, sickly or diseased plants will only produce young plants
of a similar quality.

2. Strike cuttings into an open compost such as peat and
perlite or peat and composted pine bark, and aim to allow |
good air circulation around the cutting tops, even whilst
maintaining a high humidity during rooting.

3. Use only minimal fertilisers whilst growing plants on and
allow plants to grow slowly, as they would in nature, and
with plenty of light and space, thus maintaining foliage in a
firm condition.

4. Remove and burn any diseased or pest-infested plants.
They only serve as a reservoir for infection.

5. Plant heathers in suitable soils or incorporate plenty of
peat. Plants stressed through trying to grow in unsuitable
conditions will always be more susceptible to pest and dis-
ease attack.

6. In spite of disease problems, recent improvements in
nursery management mean that the quality of heathers
leaving commercial holdings is frequently superb.
However, the quality of heathers for sale in garden centres 1s
still very variable.

Great care must be taken to ensure that only the very
best is bought, and that no pests or diseases are brought into
the garden unecessarily. Take care to allow plants adequate
time to harden off before planting, as many heathers have
been grown on in tunnels and will have soft, lush
growth.

28

YEAR BOOK 1989

7. Use fungicides only as a last resort. They frequently cause
harm to heathers, particularly at the cutting stage and are
often not totally effective on their own.

If amateur growers continue to propagate, grow and
plant heathers in their gardens in suitable soils, using time
honoured methods in which the plants are allowed to grow
slowly as they would naturally, then they should encounter
the minimum of trouble from pests and diseases.

Propagation — Back to Basics

Arnold Stow, High Wycombe, Bucks

I was somewhat surprised when the Editor asked me to
prepare an article on propagation. Why me? I thought,
when many a word has been written by more learned and
experienced enthusiasts and professional nurserymen.

Then I realised what an inspired choice! I have over the
past twenty years or more tried, and failed, with so many
different methods that I should have got it right at last. In
addition there doesn't appear to have been an article on this
subject since the 1979 Year Book, so hopefully this will help
the newer members of the Society wishing to increase their
stock of heathers.

This article is based on what has proved successful for
me and for the amateur gardener, not for the nurseryman
who has the benefits, and costs, of heat and mist
equipment.

There are three methods of propagation, by seed, layer-
ing and by cuttings. I have never consciously tried to ger-
minate heather seed but anyone who has left peat
undisturbed in a pot or tray for a few months will obtain
their own batch of Calluna and E. tetralix seedlings whether
they want to or not.

29

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

Layering is simply selecting a plant, covering with a peat
and sand mixture, but leaving the tips showing and, subject
to the time of year, within six to nine months the majority of
the shoots will have produced roots which can then be
separated from the parent plant and potted on. The advan-
tage of this method is that if, having looked at a few shoots
and found rooting has not taken place, they can be covered
again and left a little longer. However it is rather an easy
method and does not tax your horticultural abilities and
satisfaction is limited.

Cuttings is the more usual method, but before taking
them, prepare the compost. This should be fifty/fifty peat
and sharp sand. Sedge peat will suffice, although I find
Spaghnum has more ‘body’, but needs to be riddled through
a half inch sieve before use.

Instead of sharp sand, a cleaner and lighter material that
can be used 1s Perlite. Whichever medium 1s used it should
be noted that the peat is there for moisture retention and the
sand or Perlite to keep the compost open, both essential for
successful rooting.

Once mixed the compost is pressed firmly down in the
seed try; I use a piece of pegboard cut to shape and through
the holes I push a match stick or nail. The board is then
removed revealing the ‘starter’ holes. Cuttings are some-
times difficult to dibble straight into the compost and this
operation not only overcomes this problem, but also gives
evenly spaced planting. Some gardeners will state that cut-
tings thrive on company and that pegboard will only
accommodate a little under two hundred in a standard tray,
but it is easier when it comes to potting on when the roots
can be gently teased apart from each other.

You are now ready to select your material. Ideally the
cuttings should be one inch long of semi-ripened wood.
Therefore the time will be from late April onwards and and
period will extend to late August. The cuttings are dibbled

30

YEAR BOOK 1989

into the compost up to half their length, watered well, and
then the container is either placed in a cold frame with the
lights closed down or a plastic dome is used. Note that for
the first six to eight weeks the cuttings require a humid
atmosphere shaded from direct sunlight to prevent scorch,
but with sufficient light to prevent damping off. Remember
that it can only take one hour of direct sunlight to lose a
whole tray of cuttings. Remember also that even if placed on
the north side of a wall or fence your cuttings can receive
direct sunlight in the height of Summer for a short time, as I
have found out to my cost. This question of position is a
tricky one, I have tried placing a cold frame under a tree to
avoid having to use shading. We then have a poor Summer,
ting on into 4” pots. The potting compost should consist of
been poor. I now opt for a cold frame in full sun, but with
adequate shading material.

With the lights down or with a plastic dome, little water-
ing is required but as soon as rooting has taken place,
evidenced by green shoots appearing, more air should be
given and frequent watering will be required. During this
period it is important to keep pinching out the new growth
to encourage bushy growth.

With the onset of winter, even though the cuttings will be
relatively hardy, some protection is required as a spell of
hard weather will tend to lift the cuttings out of the compost
and this should be checked, especially when the weather
turns milder, when all that is needed 1s a little gentle firming.
Cuttings taken earlier in the year will have made sufficient
root growth to overcome this, but it can be a problem with
later-rooted cuttings.

The following Spring the cuttings will be ready for pot-
ting on into 4” pots. The potting compost should consist of
our old friends peat and sand /or Perlite to which is added
an ericaceous fertiliser. I find Vitax Q4 perfectly acceptable
and is readily available.

31

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

Plants in pots dry out very quickly and therefore due
attention must be paid to the watering. During this period it
is important to continue the light pruning process before
planting out in the Autumn or if preferred, the following
Spring. If left in their pots after this they will have exhausted
the food supply in the compost and will also become
root bound.

I have made no mention of feeding until the potting on
stage. However a weekly application of half strength —
Phostrogen once the cuttings have shown signs of rooting is
beneficial although by no means essential. Feeding should
stop in early August to enable the plants to harden off before
the Winter.

Do not think you are restricted to taking cuttings during
the growing season. I remember admiring a plant of Erica
erigena Irish Dusk’ in a member's garden one December. I
was offered, and accepted, a few cuttings and on returning
home placed them directly into open ground and placed a
jam jar over them and achieved the desired results.

Propagation is fun and generally easy, but nature still
has a way of reminding you who is in charge. Whenever I
am asked on how I propagate my heathers I generally reply,
“The Three P’s” which translated stands for peat, perlite
and a prayer. Whatever we achieve down here is subject to a
little divine intervention.

The Erica scoparia in Madeira

David McClintock, Platt, Kent.

Erica scoparia is one of the Tree Heaths. Typically
it grows to 2 m, but in the islands of the E. Atlantic, it can
attain 6 m, and 63 cm in girth. The type is native in the
western parts of Italy, in Sardinia and Corsica, through

32

YEAR BOOK 1989

southern and western France south of the river Loire to the
Croizon peninsula south of Brest, where it was introduced
with material for German fortifications, (Dizerbo, 1974). A
similar source is postulated for its occurrence on the islands
of Terschelling and Texel off the north coast of Holland,
where it has been known since 1952 (van Costrom &
Reichgelt, 1956). It is native in the Iberian peninsula and the
Balearics and extends eastwards along the North African
coast as far as Tunisia. The species in a broad sesnse occurs
also in the island groups of the Canaries, Madeira and the
Azores — where it reaches 6,000 ft. on Pico.

The typical plant, ssp scoparia was formally described
by Linnaeus in 1753 ‘Antherts bicornibus, inclusis. corollis
campanulatis longioribus, foltis ternis patentibus, ramis
tomentosis. The type is in the Linnaean herbarium.

The plants in the Azores however were separated at
specific rank at Hochstetter in 1844 as E. azorica — ‘Caule
arborescente, ramis_ ferrugineo-rufis, ramulis foltisque
junioribus hispidulo-puberulis, foliis adulto _ ternis
linearibus dorso sulcatis — scabriusculis, _ floribus
unilateraliter racemosis cernuls, sepalis basi connatis, tubo
corollae limbum_ subaequante brevioribus, antheris
inclusis, stigmate peltato longe exserto. But such
marginally distinctive geographical races, isolated from
their congeners, are best regarded as subsepcies; and it was
to this rank that Prof. D. A. Webb reduced this in 1972,
remarking that except in its much shorter calyx and slightly
shorter corolla, it did not seem to differ consistently from
the type. But it differs also in the attractive way its foliage
can spread in waves and curls, as well as being capable of
growing much larger.

The populations in the Canary Islands were dis-
tinguished in 1884 by Webb and Berthelot as_ var.

ioe)
eo

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

platycodon. ‘Erica glabra foliis late linearitbus; inflorentia
laterali, ramis dense floriferis; bracteis 3 remotis foliolis
calycinis basi connatis, ovato-lanceolatis, corolla dimidio
brevioribus, corolla ante anthesin globosa, aperte late cam-
panulata, antheris obtusis, muticis inclusis, stigmate
peltato, exserto, capsula depressa glabra, seminibus utrin-
que obtusis, puncticulatis. This they summarised as
‘Species canariensis omnibus partris major est et fortior cor-
ollasque habet valde apertas atque intense fucatas, sed dif-
ferentias nullas revere specificas videre potuimus’. It was
upped to subspecific rank in 1976 by Alfred Hansen and
Gunther Kunkel. Platycodon means with broad bells, 1.e.
corollas, but they are larger rather than merely broad. What
I find noticeable about this subspecies, shown well by
Kunkel (1986),is the way the sparser longer leaves stand out
from the stems, nearly as much as in the next subspecies,
both of which can grow larger than ssp. scoparia.

The populations in two of these well-separated Atlantic
island groups having been deemed to merit subspecific
rank, what about those in Madeira and its off-island, Porto
Santo? It does not follow that, because Madiera is separated
by 300 miles of ocean from the Canaries, its heather will
automatically differ. In fact they do resemble each other
more than those of the Azores or of the Mediterranean.

However, there seem sufficient distinctions to regard the
Madeira plant as a third insular subspecies, maderincola
(the epithet maderensis is avoided because there is already
the endemic heather Erica maderensis). Its characters
include a laxer habit, leaves which can be even longer, more
widely spaced and spreading when mature, a shorter calyx
and corolla with the stigma more exserted, both paler in
colour. Detailed comparisons of the four subspecies are set
out in the Appendix, based on specimens at Kew, the BM
(NH), the Heather Society’s herbarium and plants in my
own garden.

34

YEAR BOOK 1989

The formal description runs Erica scoparia L. subsp.
maderincola D. McClintock differt a subsp platycodon
habitu laxiore, foliis longioribus ad 13.5 mm, calyce et cor-
olla minoris, ad 1.7 et 3.1 mm, stylo longiore exserto, corolla
et stigmate pallidioris. Habitat in insulis Madeira et Porto
Santo. Holotypus ex Madeira in horto Bracken Hill, Platt,
Kent, 31 May 1980, coll. D. McClintock. Hb Heather
Society.

References

Dizerbo, A.W., 1974, La vegetgation et la flore de la presqu
ile de Crozon, Brest: 86

Hansen, A. and Kunkel, G., 1976, Cuadernos de Botanica
canaria 26/7: 79-80.

Hochstetter, C.F., 1844. in Seubert, M.A. Flora Azorica:
40

Kunkel, G. 1981. Arboles y Arbustos de las islas Canarsies,
Edrica: 77

Linnaeus, C. 1753. Species Plantarum: 353

van Oostrom S.J. and Reichgelt, T.J. 1956. Acta Botanica
Needandice: 108

Webb, D.A. 1972. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society
Gda59

Webb, P.B. and Berthelot, S. 1844. Phytologia canariense III
(2): 14

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

Appendix
Habit scoparia azorica platycodon madeirincola
height to m open dense dense rather dense
girth to cm 2.5 (-4) 6.0 over 4.0 over 4.0
Leaf length mm 18.0 - - 63.0*
(3.5-)5.5-6(-7.5) (3-)4-5.5 (6-)7-9(-10) (8.5-)10-12(-13.5)
angle spreading erect spreading spreading
Calyx length (0.7)-1-1.5 0.7 1.5-2.5 (0.8-) 1.7
mm
Corolla length (1.2-)2-2.5(-3) —1.5-1.75(-2.5) 3.0-3.5 (2.0-)2.5-3.1
mm
colour greenish white dull red dark pink whitish pink
lobes pink greenish whitish
Style length mm 3.0 3. - 3.5 (3.0-)4 (1.9-)3.5-4(5)
exsertion none or slight far far
stigma colour crimson rich purple dark purple fawny pink
shape slightly convex '2-globular flattish flat to convex
convex + blunt
projections
Native in Mediterranean Azores Canaries Madeira and

Porto Santo
*Section of trunk in the collection of R. Crow of St. Neot. Cornwall. 1979.

Erica manipuliflora Salisb. in Southern
Yugoslavia, October 1988.

A. W. Jones, West Camel, Somerset.

Perhaps I should begin these notes with a few words of
explanation as to why I was so eager to make a round trip of
almost 3,000 miles to look at a single heather species at the
western end of its range.

Terry Underhill (1) wrote, in the general section of his
description of E. manipuliflora, “This Mediterranean
species occurs naturally at the edges of woods. It is rarely
seen in cultivation. It likes lime, growing on sandy hills or
by limestone outcrops”. It was the phrase “It likes lime” that
first aroused my interest in this species in about 1977.

The description is accompanied by a line drawing by
Marilyn Evans, which shows an upright plant with rather

36

YEAR BOOK 1989

sparse short leaves, and flowers like those of E. vagans, but
carried in terminal clusters, like “little hands”.

The plants that I finally obtained, after soms searching”,
had flowers on long stems, like rather open racemes of E.
vagans. I was intrigued by the differences between my new
plants and the drawing.

In February 198! | visited the herbaria at the British
Museum (Natural History) specrfically to look at the
specimens of E. manipuliflora. | saw plants with terminal
clusters of flowers, plants with vagans - like inflorescences,
and yet others with gaps between groups of flowers on long
terminal shoots with short flowering side shoots towards
their bases. In the books I had read, where a blooming
period was given (1,2,3.4) it was said to be from August to
October, and indeed, most of the specimens had been
collected at about that time of year. However, there were
also sheets with plants in bloom, collected in the Lebanon
between November 1883 and February 1884, from limestone
hills above Beirut, and from Lokrum Island near
Dubrovnik on 14th April 1935. Later I learned of a voucher
at Kew, collected at Ragusa (Dubrovik) in full bloom on
17th April.

I asked David McClintock about E. manipuliflora, and
he provided more information about the species. He
pointed out that the typical plant had a narrow interrupted
infloresences. very short erect leaves and whitish stems. It
comes from the northern & western Aegean. Plants from
the Adriatic are similar to E. vagans. The eastern form of the
species has certainly been known since 1770, and is said to
have been introduced into Britain in 1774.

*F. manipuliflora is now rather more widely available in this
country.

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

In 1845 Link named the Adriatic plant E. anthura, the
type specimen coming from Split. Later (5) he described it as
E. naematodes, also from Dalmatia. However Grenier and
Godron (6) were uncertain about the presence of E.
manipuliflora in Istia and Dalmatia in 1852.

We agreed that we should visit southern Yugoslavia to
study the species in the wild there as soon as opportunity
presented itself. In the event, that did not happen until 1988,
when we were both free from the 4th to the 9th of October.
The plan was that we should fly to Dubrovnik, hire a car
and drive along the coast to Orebi¢, where we would take the
ferry to Korcula. Thereafter we would do what seemed most

worthwhile until it was time to return to Dubrovnik for the
flight home.

I duly met David at Heathrow at lunch time on Tuesday
the 4th. We took off two hours late, and arrived at Zagreb
too late to catch the onward flight to Dubrovnik. We were
put up in an hotel overnight, and the next morning were
waiting at 6.0 a.m. for a promised coach which never
arrived. A taxi driver assured us he could get us to the airport
in time for the 7.20 flight. In order to do so he drove with
considerable élan, passing buses and lorries on the right or
left, seemingly as the fancy took him. I must admit that I was
slightly apprehensive when we were passed and stopped by
armed militia, but they only wanted to tell the driver that the
boot was open.

We caught the plane, and landed at Dubrovnik airport at
8.10 on a beautiful sunny morning. I glimpsed my first wild
plant of E.manipuliflora the instant the bus left the airport,
and it was present, as isolated plants, along the journey into
the city.

Once in Dubrovnik we failed to find breakfast, but we

38

YEAR BOOK 1989

did hire a small car. I had foolishly left my driving licence in
Somerset, and David had the unenviable chore of driving
throughout the trip. I thank him most heartily for doing so.
Yugoslav road builders do not pander to people like me who
have an irrational fear of heights. Sheer drops are frequent,
and there are few roadside barriers. Despite David's
excellent driving, I suffered many moments of abject terror,
and the occasional sight of wrecked-cars far below did little
to calm my nerves.

We left Dubrovnik on the road that follows the coast all
the way to the Italian border. After about ten miles we
stopped at Trsteno to look at two vast Oriental Planes and
try, again unsuccessfully, to obtain breakfast. From here on
the road had been built quite recently, and skirted the
villages. Since at many places it had been cut into the
hillside, it was quite narrow, but the surface was generally
good, and there were parking places from time to time.
There were high limestone hills to our right, and the
Adriatic, with its islands, below us on the left. We often
noticed EF. manipuliflora from the car.

Fifteen kilometers further on, when we were about ten
km south east of Slano, we stopped again to make our first
collection of herbarium specimens and cuttings. Here the
plants were frequent, but not dominant. They were growing
in clefts in the vertical limestone walls of a road cutting, and
among coarse chippings at the side of the road. Above the
road they flourished amongst the boulders that covered the
hillside. Most were about two feet tall, and looked very
much like wild plants of E. vagans. However, some were
quite prostrate, one being no more than two inches tall, and
with yellow foliage. The flowers had faded on most, though
some were in full bloom, and a few were still to open. The
flower colours ranged from H11 (lilac pink) to near white.
During the trip we were to see many plants with flowers that
appeared to be white, but the dark red pedicels and deep
coloured anthers suggested that the corollas would turn

39

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

pink as they age. We did however, find true white-flowered
plants with pale green pedicels and light coloured anthers.
Dark coloured flowers were rare.

About a kilometer north of Slano we saw E.
manipuliflora as the dominant plant for the first time, but
the road was too narrow to allow us to stop and examine it
more closely.

At Doli we left the main road and drove onto the
Peljesac peninsula. We were now on an older, still narrower
road that passed through the centres of villages and small
towns. The surface was rather indifferent at times.

We stopped again about two kilometres west of Doll,
where isolated plants of E. manipuliflora were growing in
the garigue. At the roadside a plant grew downwards over a
rock. In competition with taller species some plants had
reached a height of 1.8m with stems | to 2 cm in diameter. It
was here, on our return journey, that David made the
following list of some of the woody plants growing with E.
manipuliflora. Cistus cf. incanus. Colutea arborescens,
Erica arborea, Ficus carica, Helichrysum stoechas,
Juniperus oxycedrus, J. phoeniceus, Myrtus communis,
Olea europea, Paliurus spina-christi, Pinus halepensis,
Pistachia lentiscujs, Quercus ilex, Q. pubescens,
Pyracantha coccinea, Rubus fruticosus agg. The combined
scent originating from some of these in the warm air was
delightful. To the list ] would add Clematis sp. and Arbutus
unedo. The latter were about 2m tall, and carried only ripe
fruit. David ate these in quantity and reported that, contrary
to the common belief, they were not unpalatable.

We crossed the first range of high, rather barren hills on
the peninsula and dropped to sea level on the northern
coast. Two or three kilometres east of Drace we stopped by a
salt marsh where Sea Lavender (Limonium sp.) was
growing. On the landward side of the road we found plants

40

YEAR BOOK 1989

of E. manipuliflora up to 75cm tall, with stout stems and
long somewhat interrupted inflorescences. Here. we also
saw Colchicum autumnale and Cyclamen hederifolium.

From here the road ran south on low ground through
Janjina and Trstenik, and then turned north west and back
into the mountains. We stopped at the top of the last pass
before Orebic, where there was a large memorial to the Par-
tisans. We could see the sea far below us. We measured a
plant of E. manipuliflora 1.7m across, with stems trailing
downwards for 1.5m.

We stayed overnight at Orebic. On Thursday morning I
was awoken at6a.m. by a thunderstorm with heavy rain and
high wind. Fortunately the rain had stopped by 8 o'clock,
and the weather began to improve steadily. At 11.30 we
boarded the car ferry for the short trip to Kor¢tla. On arrival
we booked into an excellent hotel, lunched and strolled
briefly in the beautiful old city before we set off to drive to
the other end of the island in search of E. manipuliflora.
Though present in other areas, we found it most abundant
in the eastern end of the island within about 10km of the
city. We stopped once to collect, and found the same
‘variations that we had seen previously.

On Friday morning it had again been raining and was
dull. We made an early return crossing to the mainland, and
began to retrace our route to Ston. West of Janjina, just
before Pijavicino, we came across a heather moor which we
had inexplicably missed two days earlier. E. manipuliflora
was the dominant species. There were some pines and scrub
oak, and the site was obviously wet at times, since the Black
Bog-rush (Schoenus nigricans) was also present. The
variations in both habit and colour of the heather was
greater than we had found at most other places. Some plants
were upright and up to Im tall, while others were prostrate.
Some had patent leaves, while the leaves of others were
appressed, and all intermediate angles were present.

41

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

However, none of the plants which I examined had whitish
stems. As everywhere, the leaves were comparatively long,
and the plants in general indistinguishable from E. vagans,
at any rate at a distance.

We passed through Ston and on to Doli, where we
rejoined the main coastal road and continued north west
towards Split. Very soon we stopped seeing E. manipuliflora
from the car, though at first there was no apparent change in
the terrain. Soon we were passing through high, rather
barren limestone country, and then dropped down to the
marshes of the river Neretva at Opuzen. We were soon back
on higher ground, and next sighted E. manipuliflora just
south of Drvenik, where there were many plants growing on
a stony hillside There was a good range of colours here, with
plants from white to H12 (heliotrope). Some of these plants
had very small corollas, which made the stamens seem lon-
ger than normal. Plants which were growing in the walls of a
road cutting were upright, rather than trailing down.
Evidently the trailing habit is not developed by all plants
growing in suitable sites.

We were now approaching the area where the ranges of
E. manipuliflora and E. multiflora overlap in Yugoslavia.
We searched for the latter species, though it would not be in
flower, but we did not see it.

About 2km north west of Makarska we found E.
manipuliflora growing in a pine wood. We measured the
height of one plant as 2.25m, with others at 1.8m. These were
flowering freely despite the deep shade. On an adjacent
olive terrace the plants were about |m tali. The colour range
was from pseudo-white to pale pink. Once again plants with
small corollas and far-exserted anthers were present.

42

YEAR BOOK 1989

We spent the night at Makarska, and the following
morning began to retrace our route to Dubrovnik. It was
necessary to confirm the absence of E. manipuliflora from
so much of that journey. I kept a sharp look out, and in the
70km from just south east of Drvenik to just north west of
Slano, I saw two plants. By now I had grown quite proficient
at spotting plants from the car, and on our return to Dubrov-
nik I noted it well within the city boundaries and close to the
docks.

We finished the trip by driving south of Dubrovnik and
turning inland towards Trbinje. We rapidly reached an
altitude of about 1,000 ft, and plants were still present. After
about 35km they petered out, but we had no time to go
further to see if they reappeared.

The following morning I saw E. manipuliflora from the
aircraft window, by the runway, as we took off to return
home.

We had seen E. manipuliflora growing in a variety of
habitats. There was considerable diversity among the
plants, though usually it looked just like E. vagans. . The
Yugoslavian plants appeared to differ from both the
specimens and the descriptions I had seen of the north
Aegean plants. However, I wonder if there are intermediates
between these two apparent ecotypes along the shores of the
Gulf of Corinth or in the Peloponnese.

I am deeply indebted to David McClintock for
organising a memorable trip, for driving me so many miles,
for teaching me so much about the plants we saw, and for
his unfailing good companionship throughout.

43

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

References

1. Underhill, Terry L., Heaths and Heathers, David and Charles,
Newton Abbot, 1971

2. Letts, John F., Hardy Heaths and the Heather Garden, 1966

3. Polunin, Oleg, and Huxley, Anthony, Flowers of the
Mediterranean, Chatto and Windus, London, 1972.

4. van de Laar, Harry, The Heather Garden, Collins, London,
1978.

5. Grenier, J. C. M., and Godron, D.A., Flora de France, Vol. 2.,
S53!

6. Link, J.H.F., Botaniser Notiser, 1851, p. 183.

2k 26 2K 2K

Heathers and Heathlands

David Small, Creeting St. Mary, Suffolk

On 20th October 1988, the Linnean Society held a joint
meeting at its Burlington House, Picadilly, headquarters on
a topic held dear to most of us in the Heather Society,
namely the ecology of the flora and fauna of heathlands
(lowland heaths as opposed to high moorlands). A number
of our members were present to hear papers from eminent
speakers. It was particularly pleasing that the BSBI should
have accepted David McClintock’s suggestion of this sub-
ject as their part of the Linnean Society’s bi-centennial
celebrations.

Before the programme started, Mr. Robin Herbert, Pre-
sident of the R.H.S. accompanied by our President, the
Director General, presented the Linnean Society with a
marvellous illuminated address, which we were able to see
in detail whilst having lunch in the library.

After the President of the Linnean Society, Professor M.
Claridge had welcomed the participants, Professor

Charles Gimingham of the University of | Aberdeen
read the first paper saying that heather must now _ be one
of Britain’s most studied plants because of its

44

YEAR BOOK 1989

importance to the landscape and the fauna it supports. He
gave three reasons why Calluna was able to dominate large
areas once the pre-requisites of absence of shade and no
temperature extremes were met. Firstly, its ability to obtain
nitrogen from amino acids and ammonia due to a symbiotic
mycorrhizal association.Secondly, its capacity for produc-
ing adventitious roots. Thirdly, because of its high photo-
synthetic ability, brought about by the fact that side shoots
are its chief photo-synthetic media and the density of shoots
on the periphery of the plant is constant. Referring directly
to the lowland scene, he added extra factors such as its high
reproductive capacity and easy dispersion of seed. One
million long lived seeds per square metre is on record.
Germination is intermittent, providing an extra safeguard.
He explained that heather growth is cyclical, a centre of a
plant will die out after 20-25 years, the rest of the plant
degenerates after 30 years allowing other species to occupy
the site before heather re-colonises. This cyclical process
can be broken by birch, oak or pine. He concluded a
fascinating account by saying that there was some evidence
‘to suggest that increased availability of nitrogen (e.g. from
farming) causes early senescence of heather, as does
polluted rainfall, bracken and grasses.

Dr. Charles Nelson started his talk on the Irish heathers
by quoting from a 7th century poet who it is believed pro-
vided the first recorded account of heathers in Ireland. He
gave brief accounts of the distribution of Calluna, Erica and
Daboecia, pointing out how Linnaeus had mispelt the
name of St. Dabeoc from Lough Dearg. Those of us who
were lucky enough to go on the escorted tour of Irish Heaths
in 1983 will know that these species are more varied in
Ireland than on the mainland of Britain, and Charles
expanded and updated the mysteries surrounding E.
mackaiana. Those who are not familiar with the story
should read the intriguing accounts by David McClintock
and Charles in the 1983 Year Book. He said that recent work
had made it patently clear that the E. mackaiana in Ireland

45

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

was not one single clone and this, therefore, was not the
reason for its apparent sterility. He also said that the
Spanish E. mackaiana collected by us in 1982 did set seed in
Ireland. So the mystery as to why the “native” E. Mackaiana
in Ireland does not appear to set seed remains and deepens.
He went on to discuss the hybrid between E. tetralix and E.
mackaiana, E. x stuarti, saying how it was abundant in
three Irish stations, and that back-crossing was occurring to
provide a continuous spectrum between the two species.
Having brieily discussed two of the rarer Erica in Ireland, E.
ciliaris (just six plants) and E. vagans (all white), he went on
to say that work done by Peter Foss in Dublin suggested that
E. erigena was introduced into Ireland in the 15th century
from Spain as wine flask packing! There is no evidence of E.
erigena pollen before that date. He concluded by showing
some of the most remarkable slides of heathers growing in
the most unlikely sites - the limestone pavement of the
Burren.

Dr. Andrew Byfield of the Nature Conservancy Council
gave the third paper which concentrated on the heathlands
of south west England. He explained that E. vagans was not
only found on the serpentine of the Lizard, a popular
misconception, but also on the gabbro of that peninsula.
Serpentine has a high magnesium, chromium and nickel
content, but is low in calcium, potassium and phosphorus.
Gabbro on the other hand has a higher calcium content,
with lower amounts of magnesium, cadmium and nickel,
making it ultra basic. FE. vagans is completely excluded from
the acid soils of the Lizard. He went on to explain that there
were two types of heathland on the west of the Lizard, “Rock
heath”, characterised by Calluna and Festuca ovina; and
“Mixed heath”. with E. ‘vagans and Ulex europaeus. On the
loess deposits found in the centre of the Lizard, “Short
heath” is dominated by Agrostis curtisii, but Calluna, E.
tetralix and E. cinerea can be found. The fourth type of
heath which dominates the main area of the Lizard plateau
is “Tall heath”, characterised by E. vagans and Schoenus
nigricans, the Black Bog Rush. He concluded by briefly

46

YEAR BOOK 1989

mentioning some of the rarer heaths found on the Lizard, E.
x williamsi and the eglandular E. ciliaris.

David McClintock gave the final paper of the morning
and started by pointing out that despite the intense study of
heathers, little work had been done on some aspects, such as
chromosome counts. (Calluna is 2n=16, Bruckenthalia
2n=30, Daboecia and Erica spp 2n=24,and Andromeda
2n=48). He widened the discussion to cataloguing the
heathers found in Europe and adjacent areas. Daboecia
azorica should perhaps be considered a sub-species of D.
cantabrica, as no hairs on the corolla of D. azorica and its
smaller leaves and flowers were hardly good specific
characteristics. Andromeda glaucophylla he did not
consider a good species. Calluna vulgaris had a very wide
range of variation, including late-flowering groups, multi-
bracteate plants,and three forms of bud-flowerers. E.
andevalensis, named only in 1980, had shorter glandular
hairs than E. mackaiana of which it is best considered as a
sub-species. E. cinerea had the widest range of flower
colour, and also schizopetalous forms. E. maderenstis,
superficially similar to the slenderer E. cinerea, is a distinct
species, never having its leaves grouped along the stem, a
characteristic of E. cinerea. E. terminalis is the only Erica
not to have its pollen in tetrads. There are three records of
white form which is still to be re-found. E. tetralix has fissa
forms which are common at the beginning of the flowering
season, but the later flowers are entire. E. arborea 1s the only
European species to penetrate deep into Africa, south of the
equator and growing to 4269m. in Ethiopia. Pink flowers are
elusive. E. lusitanica is now a major weed in New Zealand.
He hoped the name E. carnea would be retained for our
beloved winter heath instead of E. herbacea. He felt that E.
erigena was not worth specific status, as height and size
were not good taxonomic distinguishing features, although
he had to concede that most hybrids with E. carnea were
sterile. The distinguishing characteristics between
FE. vagans (western Europe), FE. multiflora (western
Mediterranean), E. anthura (Adriatic) and E. manipuliflora

47

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

E. manipuliflora (Aegean area) had been confused for a
long while, but they seemed distinct. After briefly mention-
ing E. umbellata, David concluded his talk by saying that E.
sicula had been re-discovered in Sicily.

Miss Lyn Farrell of the Nature Conservancy Council
started the proceedings after lunch, by giving the latest
classification of heathlands. Of the 16, 12 are found below
300m. To confuse matters these classifications are given
codes identical to our heather colour chart, so Hl, instead of
meaning amethyst is Festuca ovina/Calluna heathland,
typified by the Brecklands of East Anglia. H2 is Calluna/
Ulex minor as seen in the Weald of Kent; H3, Ulex minor/
Agrostis curtisii heath of Dorset; H4, Agrostis curtis1i/Ulex
gallii of south west England; H5, E. vagans/Schoenus
nigricans of the Lizard; H6, E. vagans/Ulex europaeus also
of the Lizard; H7, Calluna/Scilla verna of western Britain;
H8, Calluna/Ulex gallii of the north Midlands; H9,
Calluna/Deschampsia flexuosa of the south Pennines; H10,
Calluna/E. cinerea of central Scotland; H11, found on sand
dunes, and H12, Calluna/Vaccinium of northern Britain.
She concluded her talk by discussing how important it was
to retain Britain’s remnants of Europe’s fast diminishing
lowland heathland. In Europe there were 300 kilohectares
of lowland heath left, of which 60 kilohectares were in
Britain, 4.5 being in the Breckland.

Dr. R. Moss of the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology gave an
interesting account of heathland management and how
management practice was modified for specific fauna.
Small game: have little impact on heather and can be sup-
ported on heather alone, but sheep, cattle and deer need
other food as well. Red deer have increased considerably
since the last war and may be the cause of a slow decline in
upland heather swards. Large area burning is favoured
when grazing sheep or deer, but small patch burning causes
red grouse to take up smaller territories and hence their den-
sity can be increased. Artificial feeding of heather tends to

48

YEAR BOOK 1989

work against red grouse in favour of sheep. Dr. Moss
believes that the time may now be right to bring back grouse
in favour of sheep on economic grounds.

Dr. Nigel Webb, also of the Institute of Terrestrial
Ecology, concentrated on the invertebrates found in
southern heathlands. He said most fed on Calluna with
some 40 insect species actually depending on it for food.
Most of these insects do not travel far,some never leaving
the plant on which they were born. This apparently, tends to
be common where there is a dependence on low nitrogen
food plants. There are three species of thrips which are
important for the pollination of heathers, the young females
flying to neighbouring plants to mate and lay eggs. There
are about 30 species of moths dependent on heather, the
most spectacular being the Emperor Moth (Saturnia
pavonia), Britain’s only representative of the silk-moth
family, found on both upland and lowland heaths. The
caterpillars feed communally initially, then change colour,
becoming solitary and difficult to find. Only three butterfly
species can be considered truely heathland species, the
Grayling, Hipparchia semele; the Green Hairstreak,
Callophrys rub1 and the Silver-studded Blue, Plebeius
argus. The latter has a mysterious association with ants,
which in turn need an open canopy. The Silver-studded
Blue stays within a 5m range from where it emerges
from its pupa.

The penultimate paper was presented by Dr. Ian Speller-
berg of Southampton University, who discussed heathlands
as habitats for reptiles. The Sand Lizard, Lacerta agilis, is
primarily found in Dorset, but also in the sand dunes north
of Liverpool with scattered communities elsewhere. It
requires basking temperatures of 26°C, 3°C higher than the
Common Lizard. L. vivipara. It lays a clutch of six quite
large eggs, three on a 10p piece, the young hatching in
August. He related work done on both lizards in an attempt
to understand their habitat requirements more fully, to stem

49

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

the decline in population. To do this lizards were fitted with
tiny transmitters which enabled them to be tracked more
easily. On finding a lizard, observations were made over a 2
x 2m quadrant on the nature of the ground vegetation, soil
characteristics (for egg laying and hibernation), width or
area of side verges and the amount of sunshine the site
received. The survey found that lizards selected sites which
were suitable for basking, and the surrounding vegetation
was structurally complex. They prefer large areas that have
undergone perturbation, which led him to pose two ques-
tions. Firstly, is there a conflict between restoration of
heathland and habitats for small vertebrates?and secondly,
should the Linnean Society support a programme of large
scale restoration?

The final paper, and to my mind one of the best, was
given by Ted Oliver from Stellenbosch, South Africa. He
extended the discussion to the heaths of southern Africa,
stating that there were now far more than 600 species of
Erica, of which nine occur in East Africa and 630 in the
Cape region of South Africa. 175 of these occur in a % degree
latitude/longitude of the S.W. Cape, or put another way, an
area the size of the Isle of Wight.

The main variation was in the shape and size of anthers,
which could almost provide a key to the genus. Oliver
demonstrated by the position of bracts that Philippia and
Erica are really one genus, which adds a further 47 species to
the list. He went further to suggest that Blaeria too should be
included in Erica, as the only distinguishing feature
(stamen count) does not work. (Blaeria, has 4, Erica 4 to 8).
He even postulated that the European _ species
Bruckenthalia should be an Erica,

Ted Oliver not only gave a detailed botanical treatise,

but delighted us with some superb slides of Cape Heaths;
and as if that was not enough, he had been out in the

50

YEAR BOOK 1989

mountains the previous Sunday and picked 40 species to
display to us, showing the marked variation in form and
flower.

Summarising the meeting, Professor Clive Stace,
President of the Botanical Society of the British Isles,
commented on the varied papers, wealth of information
and competence of the speakers. It was remarkable how
the ecology was dominated by just a few in a family of 3000
species, the family Ericaceae. The papers will be published
in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society later this
year.

The “Viridiflora’’ Variants of Cornish
Heath

David McClintock, Platt, Kent.

A Cornish Heath, with its inflorescence adorned with a
series of feathery bract-like growths has been in cultivation
for over 70 years. The quite pale green effect of the usually
flowerless racemes has a remarkable charm too little
esteemed by flower arrangers. This article sets out the
history of this aberration and proposes a name for it.

There are specimens at Paris collected from two plants
on 4th September 1897 by M. L. Chevallier from the Lande
pres des Sapins, Precigné, Sarthe. He named them
‘Monstrosa’. But, like practically all botanists, he did not
propagate his strange plants up.I doubt if anyone took notice
of Chevallier’s find, at least no mention was made of it when

51

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

the discovery was made, which put this curiosity on the
map. This was 15th September 1915, when the great plants-
man P. D. Williams sent specimens from Cornwall to the
RHS Scientific Committee “in which the flowers were
replaced by multiple bracts”. It seems that he had found it
some six years earlier in 1909. It was again mentioned to the
Committee on 25th March 1930 by Mr. F. J. Hanbury, who,
on 15th August 1933 showed the Committee specimens
from his garden of what he called the curious “wheat ear”
form, saying that it produced an occasional flower. There
are references to this plant in Worsdell’s Plant Teratology,
Vol.1 p.124.. 1916 and in Thurston’s Trees and Shrubs of
1930, pp. 113 - 4.

Dr. G.C. Druce in the Report of the Botanical Exchange
Club for 1919, p. 569 wrote --Mr. P. D. Williams of Lanarth,
Cornwall, kindly sent me last September a curious variation
of the Cornish Heath, which he had known for ten years.
The cuttings come quite true. It never really flowers but
young vegetative shoots are formed with tiny clustered
leaves 1mm long. The peculiarity may be caused by a mite
or gall, but Mr. W. G. Smith to whom I sent it, has not seen
anything like it. Mr. E. W. Swanton has little doubt that a
mite causes this abnormality in growth”. This is repeated on
p. 86 of the 1922 Supplement to the Flora of Cornwall.

At Kew are contemporary specimens and notes. Mr.
Williams wrote on 20th September 1919 that he thought he
had sent it to Prof. Balfour at Edinburgh, but, if so, the
specimen has not been traced. Mr. Swanton (in HB Oxon)
wrote on 4th February 1920, amplifying what Druce had
reported “Though I failed to find any direct evidence I have
little doubt that mites cause the alteration in growth, for the
hairs of the foliaceous corollas are of the type usually
associated with mites — an Eriophyid ... 1 am sure mites
must be the cause”. There is at Kew a very slender example
sent by Mr. Williams to Sir A. Hill, on 20th April 1924.

52

YEAR BOOK 1989

In 1930 - 33 the late Dr. Renatus Kempthorne collected
variations of this species at the Lizard. One, of which he
found two separate bushes on 25th August 1932, he
inexplicably called “Flore Pleno”. The specimens at Kew
show that these were a viridulous form. He wrote, in the
BEC Report for 1932, p. 477, that Dr. Turrill at Kew would
deal with this aberration, but he never did. Dr. Kempthorne
years later told me that he could and would refind his
bushes, but this he too never did.

In 1964 and 1965 I collected samples of ‘Viridiflora’ from
commercial sources and sent them to Dr. W. G. Massee, the
specialist in mites. In letters to me, e.g. on 30th June 1965, he
wrote that although it looked like mite damage, try as he did,
he found no sign of mites - as did Swanton earlier.

An argument against mites comes from analogy with E.
tetralix ‘Mary Grace’. This is an example of f. fissa, which
occurs not infrequently in the wild, when the corollas get
tattered early in the season, and mites have been found to be
responsible. But these mites cease to be active after a while;
consequently later plants are free of this afflicuion. The
viridulous forms of FE. vagans however come later into
flower and any corollas which may appear. do so
throughout the season and all are normal and intact. One
wonders if the cause is not somehow inherent. an
instability of the genes. and no outside agency.

All this time, there was only one clone grown or indeed
generally known to have been found. On 14th September
1977 however, a very similar plant (“Hopkins Original”) was
found between Leach Pool and Bonython on the Lizard by
Dr. J.J. Hopkins, Dr. L. Frost and Dr. H. H. Martin (cf
Heathers of the Lizard District, 1982:4). It was there in 1979
(and still was recently), when Hopkins, Frost and Dr. D.
Coombe found several more plants near the original one. I
have samples, sent me at the time, labelled “Frost 1 - 6°.

53

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

The occasional pink corolla is not unusual, and twice I
have had evidence of a whole raceme reverting to normal.
But the true explanation remains elusive and unproven.

The question arises when this bracteomanic plant was
first called by the misnomer of ‘Viridiflora’. The first
mention I know of it in the trade, so Gen. Turpin found, is in
the catalogue of W. E. Th. Ingwersen for 1937, when they
called it “Viridis’. This was changed from 1942 to
‘Viridiflora’. Will Ingwersen tells me that they got the plant
from Cornwall, but does not know how the name arose.
Maxwell & Beale never listed it.

Now, however, that various similar variants are known,
a formal name is needed to cover them all. Since the flowers
are pink, when they appear, and not green, viridiflora is not
suitable, valid though it is as a clonal epithet for P. D.
Williams’s original plant, still the only one being sold. I
propose therefore Erica vagans L. f. viridula D. McClintock,
differt bracteis novis pallido-viridulis, saepe pectinatis
corollis plerumque nullis. Type E. vagans ‘Viridiflora’. Gar-
den at Cottswood, West Clandon, Surrey, coll: Maj.-Gen. P.
G. Turpin 24 Oct. 1981. Hb Heather Society.

I am grateful for comments from Dr. D. Coombe, W.
Ingwersen, A. W. Jones and Maj.-Gen. P. G. Turpin.

Heather Records
David McClintock, Platt, Kent

For some time I have been desultorily noting details of
large heathers, sometimes how high up they grew, and what
age they reached. For sure the figures below can be usefully
added to, but they seem worth producing if only to act as an

54

YEAR BOOK 1989

incentive to better them.

Heights, unless otherwise specified, are just that, and not
the length of a stem, which may not grow erect. The second
figure is circumference (girth), unless it is clearly said to be
diameter. The sources of the information are given (and can
be amplified on request), unless they are my own notes.

Andromeda polifolia
8,000 ft. in Honshu, Japan (Wada, 1965 - 471)
Bruckenthalia spiculifolia
2,200m in Greece (Mountain Flora, 1986-738)
Calluna vulgaris
“The Hyest hethe that ever I saw, groweth in
Northumberland, which is so hyghe that a man may hyde
hymself in”. (William Turner, A New Herball, 1551).
2.20m in Killarney, S.W.Ireland. (Botanist in Ireland
1934, 321).
x 97mm (31mm diameter) at Marburg a.d. Lahn.
(Kanngiesser, 1909).
x 72mm (23mm diameter), 52 years old in south Norway.
(Schbeler, Vindarion Norvegicum, 188:195)
x 24.5mm at base, 32 years old on Rotherhope Fell, Cum-
berland. (Kanngiesser, 1910:520).
2,7/00m in Tessin (Hegi V (3): 1650).
7,000 ft on Pico, Azores (Drouet’ 1866, p.109).
1095m (3,595 ft) in Cairngorms.
58 years old in north Norway (nork, 1946).
Daboecia azorica
2,200m on Pico in the Azores.
D. cantabrica
Stems 260 and 180cm long x 7.5cm on roadside bank at
Ballynahinch, Co. Galway, 1975.
1,312m (4,300 ft) in Spain. (Woodell, 1958).

580m (1,900 ft) in Connemara. (Comital Flora, 1932. p.191).

D. x scotica

Stems 22 ins long on ‘Goscote’. 1988.
Erica andevalensis

3 - 4 ft. (H.S.Y.B., 1983, 35)

55

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

FE. anthura
7 ft. 6 ins., just north of Makarska, Yugoslavia. 1988
4 ins at base of another plant. 1988

EF. arborea
20 - 30 m in Canaries (probably Tenerife). (J. Buttikofer,
Schweizer Naturschutz, 1952, 18/3, 76)
Over 20m, Agua de los Llamos, La Gomera, Canaries;
others 80 cm in diameter. (Naturalia hispanica, 1977, 7,
76)
20 x 1m, Canaries. (FI. Forestal, II, 1890, 72)
65 ft “on the Mediterranean Coast”. Living Plants of the
World, 1967, 190) Surely an error for Macaronesian plants.

50.38 ft. (15.52m) x 7.1 ft (2.16m), Madeira. (Flore des
Serres, 1869/70, 101-2).

x 78.5 cm at base. Africa. (ibid)

50 ft. in Tenerife (Photos at BM and Kew, received
1901)

x 157cm (50cm diameter). Canaries. (Pitard and Proust,
1908, 39).

43 ft x 78 ins (at 2ft.) Mercedes mountains, Tenerife. (C.
Ingram, Garden Illustrated, June 1952, 163).

7-8 m x 80 cm, La Gomera. (Kunkel, in litt, 1975)

40m branches on fallen trunk, La Gomera, Canaries. (ibid,
and cf Kunkel,1987, 79)

20 ft x at least 6 ft, thought to be 8-900 years old, fossilized
in Madeira, (H. S. Bull., 1986, 3, (17) 6:)

7 m. Greatest height in Grand Canary. (Kunkel, in litt.,
1975)

4 m. Greatest height in S. France. (Hegi, 1927, 5, (3), 1707)
and Spain. c. Lopez Gonzelez, 1982, 533)

25 ft. Rohais nursery, Guernsey. (Gardening World, 18th
October 1890)

18 ft at West Clandon, 1980.

16 ft. against a wall at Edinburgh, 1836. (Loudon |},
1838, 1087)

15 ft x 52 ins at the base of Miss Waldhen’s, Willans, Mount
Hawke, Cornwall, 1983.

56

YEAR BOOK 1989

Stems 34 cm across, 34 years old in Pyrenees. (Hegi 5, (3),
1707, quoting Kanngiesser).
1,600 m, in Pyrenees. (Lopez Gonzalez, 1982, 533)
4,260 m on Ras Bouahite, Semier, Abyssinia. (Pichi Ser-
mollu et al, Webbia, 1952, ix. (1))
and many similar records.
E. arborea ‘Alpina’
17 ft x 33% ins at Wisley, 1979.
19 ins at Great Comp, 1980. Plants c. 30 years old.
E. Australis
17 ft long x 6 ins at Bracken Hill, 1981. (Mr. Robert’)
10 ft. against a wall at Edinburgh, 1836. (Loudon, I,
1838 p. 108700
12 ft 3 ins long x 10% ins at Wisley, 1979. (‘Riversiea’)
to 3,500 m (Hansen, 1960, 33)
FE. bocqueti1
1,750 m, W. Taurus, Turkey. (FI. Turkey, 6, 1978, 97)
E. canaliculata
16 ft at Ludgvan Rectory, Cornwall between the wars.
(Hunkin, 1942)
x 11% ins at base. Wisley, 1985. (P. G. Turpin)
FE. carnea
x 8.8 cm (2.8 cm diameter). (Kanngiesser, 520)
x 5.0 cm (1.6 cm diameter), 33 years old near Garmisch,
Bavaria at 750m. (K. von Leiningen, Ber. Bay. Bot Ges.,
1909/10, XII, 106) 40 years old. (H.S.Y.B., 1971, 4)
2,650 m in Grisons. (Hegi V (3), 1702)
E. ciliaris
90 ins near Penryn. (Curnow, 1877)
6 ft. at Soussons Down, Devon, 1973.
to 1,000 m in N. Africa. (Hansen, 1960, 45)
E. cinerea
3 ft 6 ins at Champs Hill, Sussex, 1985
2 ft 6 ins sprawl (Rock Ruth’), Bracken Hill, 1988.
1,240 m (4,000 ft), Invernesshire. (Altitudinal records of
Br. Plants)
1,550 m. (Hegi V, (3), 1711)

57

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

E. x darleyensis
3 ft 6 ins after 24 years (Arthur Johnson’), Bracken Hill,
1988.
x 12 cm (3.8 cm diameter) after 17 years (Silberschmelze ),
Otters’ Court, 1988.
EF. erigena
10 ft at Syon, 1838 (E. T. Cook, 1908)
8 ft at Samares Manor, Jersey, 1977
(‘Superba’) stems 12 ft 10 ins long x 6 ins after c. 35 years,
Bracken Hill, 1985. (Photo in The Englishman's Garden,
1982, 102)
760 m, near Contra. (BM)
1,000 m. (Hansen, 1960, 15, 185)
185 m in Co. Galway. (Not 1,000 ft. as in Comital
Flora)
E. lusitanica
12 ft at Lytchett Heath, 1983. (cf E. T. Cook, 1908: Comber,
Gardeners Chronicle, 18th May, 1933, 187)
11 ft 9 ins long x 6% ins at Bracken Hill after c. 25
years, 1985.
11 ft at Nymans, 1979.
x 22 ins at Rowans Heather Nursery, 1980. (P. G.
Turpin)
1,600 m in Serra de Estrela. (Hansen, 1960, 37)
F. mackaiana
3 ft. in Skeltern (Irish Nat. J.. 1896, Vol.5, p.292, and in
Spain). 600 ft. in Co. Galway. (Comital Flora 1932, 189)
1680m above Loredorge. Spain (Bio. Flora, 1955, Vol.48,
p.323)
FE. maderensis
x 4% ins, at 6,000 ft, Pico: Arriero, Madeira, 1974.
FE. manipuliflora
Im. (FI. Cyprus, II, 1985, 1061)
1,530m, Kuslici Da. FI. Turkey, 6, 1978, 96)
FE. multiflora
10 ft. in Balearics. (DC, fl. fr., 6, 1815, 430, No. 2806)
x c. 4ins., Dr. V. Gray’s, 1979.
900m in Spain. (Lopez Gonzalez. 1988, 535)

58

YEAR BOOK 1989

FE. scoparia ssp scoparia
4 m x 18 cm at Biscarosse, 1982.
9 ft. near London (E. T. Cook, 1908)
1,600 m in Spain. (Lopez Conzalez, 1988, 534)
ssp azorica
25 ft x 11 - 12 cm diameter; a few must have reached 30 - 35
ft. (Guppy, 1913p. 395)
6 ft. 6 ins. x 9.4 ins. (3 ins. diameter) in R. Crow's wood collec-
tion, St. Neot, Cornwall
6 ft. 6 ins x 8 ins, Bracken Hill, 1988
2,000 m. on Pico. (Sjogren, 1973, 257)
ssp platycodon
x 25.1 ins (8 ins. diameter), from Madeira, 20th April 1979.
(R. Crow’s collection)
x 20 ins., Madeira, 1978.
E. sicula
x 2.3 ins, Wisley, 1979

1,100m (3,600 ft), between Billaas and Afka, Lebanon,
1880; the type specimen of ssp libanotica. (P. F. Steven in
Fl. Turkey, 6, 1978, 97)

E. terminalis

9 ft x 9% ins, Corsica, 1988.

8 ft. 9 ins. long x 9'%ins., Bracken Hill, 1985, after c. 35
years.

x 11 ins, Nymans, 1979.

3,500m in Granada. (Hansen, 1960, 47) - but Lopez
Gonzalez (1982, 539) gives only 1,700 m.

E. tetralix

2,200 m (7,150 ft) in S. France. (Hegi V (3), 1702)

720 m (c. 2,500 ft) in the Cairngorms. (Alt. Records of
Br. Plants)

EF. umbellata

1,000 m in Africa. (Hansen, 1960, 27)

EF. vagans.

6 ft. at Nymans, 1985

7 ft. 8 ins. stems, prostrate, after c. 30 years at Bracken
Hill

59

THE HEATHER SOCIETY _

1,500 m in Spain. (Hansen, 1960, 25)
‘Mrs. D. F. Maxwell’ aged at least 52 years at Bracken
Hill, 1988.

E. x veitchii
12 ft. trunks 3 - 4 ft. in girth, Kenock, 1980. (P. G.
Turpin)
‘Gold Tips’ c. 13 ft. at Windsor.
11 ft. 6 ins. x 1 ft. at Bracken Hill,, 1988. (Unnamed
hardy clone)
x 34 ins. at La Chene, Guernsey, 1980.

2K 6 2k 2K Ok

Geographical Names’ for Southern
African Ericas

David McClintock, Platt, Kent

Here is the final list of names used for Ericas native to
southern Africa, and for hybrids for these produced
elsewhere.

I am grateful to Ted Oliver of Kirstenbosch for the
comments he made on my draft.

aberdarica. Aberdare mountains.

africana. Africa.

(asiatica. Asia - but the plant is a Cassiope )
aghillana. Cape Aghulas, Cape Province.
austronyassana. South Nyassaland (Malawi)

barbertona. Barberton, East Transvaal.

barrydalensis. Barrydale, southern Cape Province.
blesbergensis. Blesberg, Zwartberg range, Cape Province.
borbonica. Reunion.

bothwelliana. Bothwell Castle, near Hamilton, Scotland.
butaguensis. Butagu valley, Ruwenzori.

60

YEAR BOOK 1989

caledonica. Caledon, Cape Province.

capensis. Cape Peninsula, usually.

caroliniana. (Bentham, 1838)

cederbergensis. Cedarberg, Clanwilliam, Cape Province.
constantia. Constantia, Cape Province.

x devoniana. (W. H. Story, Isleworth, pre-1855).

dracomontana/draconis. Drakenstein Peak, Stellenbosch,
Cape Province.

drakensbergensis. Drakensberg range, Natal and
Transvaal.

elgonensis. Mt. Elgon, Kenya.

elimensis. Elim Mission station, Bredersdorp, Cape
Province.

exoniensis. Exeter, England, home town of Lucombe and
Pince.

galgebergensis. Galgeberg, Riviersonderende Mountains,
Cape Province.

gallorum. Fransch Hoek, Cape Province.

gazensis. Gazaland, eastern district of Zimbabwe.

georgica. George, Cape Province.

‘Hanover’, (gracilis) North German city.
humansdorpensis. Humandsdorp, west of Port Elizabeth.

itombwensis. Itombwe, Piste de Munanira a Masanga,
Congo.

‘Weisse Jura’, (gracilis). Mountain range of France and
Switzerland.

keeromsbergensis. Keeromsberg, Worcester, Cape
Province. <

keniensis. Mt. Kenya.

kingaensis. Kinga mountains, Tanzania.

kougabergensis. Kougaberg, Cape Province.

61

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

langebergensis. Langeberg Range, Cape Province.
lowyrensis. Sir Lowry’s Pass, Somerset West, Cape
Province.

maidstoniana/maidstoniensis. Maidstone, Kent (not north
of Durban).

mauritanica. Mauritania, NW Africa. (A slip by Linnaeus
for the Cape).

milanyiana. Milanji Range, Malawi.

missionis. St. Augustin’s Mission between the rivers Inxu
and Isitsa, Drakenberg Mountains.

mitchelliensis. Mitchell’s Peak, Mitchell’s Pass, near Ceres,
Cape Province.

natalensis/natalita. Natal.
‘Niederrhein’ (gracilis). Lower Rhine, Germany.
nigrimontana. Zwartberg, Caledon, Cape Province.

ostiaria. (Ostium - a door). Seven Weeks Poort. (Poort - a
corridor). :

pillarkopensis. Pillarkop, Riviersonderende Mountains,
Caledon, Cape Province.

piquetbergensis. Piquetberg, Cape Province.

purgatoriensis. Purgatory, Fransch Hoek, Cape Province.

reenensis. Reenens Pass, Harrismilth District, Orange
Free State.

rhodesiaca. Rhodesia.

rugegensis. Rugege Forest, Ruwenzori, Ruanda.

ruwenzoriensis. Ruwenzori Mountains, Uganda.

‘Sachsen’, (gracilis). Saxony, German State.
toringbergensis. Toringberg, north of Ladysmith, Cape
Province.

tradouwensis. Tradouw Pass, Swellandam, Cape Province.
‘Triomphe de Vincennes’. Suburb of Paris.

62

YEAR BOOK 1989

turris-babylonica. Babylon’s Tower Mountain, Caledon,
' Cape Province.

vallis-aranearum. Spinnekopsnes Kloof, Kogelberg (the
Valley of Spiders’ Nests).

vallis-gratiae. Genadenal (Valley of Grace).

westphalingia/westphalingii. (By 1834).

zebrensis. Zebra, north of George, Cape Province.
zitzikammensis. Zitzikamm Mountains, between Knysna
and Humansdoprp.

zwartbergensis. Zwartberg mountain range, Cape
Province.

Additions to South African Personal Names (1987 Year
Book).

bluknetii. A name attributed to Bergius, and not apparently
-a corruption of pluknetii. Paquet, 1944, p. 104.

juliana. (Regel, p. 121. Paquet, p. 127)-

Personal and Geographical Names for
Hardy Heathers — 7th Supplement

David McClintock, Platt, Kent.

The sixth supplement appeared in the 1987 Year Book
pp. 61 - 64.

Personal Names

‘Alice Anne’ (cinerea). Grand-daughter of K. Davis, 1988.

‘Anthony Wain’ (Calluna). Employee, when young, at Goscote
Nursery.

‘Catherine’ (carnea). Wife of Mr. Kolster of Boskoop.c. 1987.

‘Colette’ (Calluna). Daughter of J. G. Flecken, Holland.

63

THE HEATHER SOCIETY ~

‘Don Richards’ (manipuliflora) D. Richards of Eskdale,
Cumbria, finder in Corfu in early 1970's.

‘Frederick’s Orange (Calluna).? error for “Terrick’s Orange’
or ‘Prostrate Orange’.

‘John Pook’ (carnea) Nursery foreman at Goscote Nursery,
Leicester.

‘Lily’ (cinerea). Second name of second wife of
D. Richards.

‘Little John’ (Calluna). Father (Johan) of J.G. Flecken - the
plant is a dwarf.

‘Mrs. E. Wilson’ (Calluna). Widow of Albert Wilson of Burnt
Oak. Victoria BC.

‘Martin’ (carnea). Son of Mr. Kolster of Boskoop.

‘Nigel Anderson’ (Calluna). Our member, of Landford.
Salisbury.

‘Nico’ (Calluna). Grandchild of Bardt of Bendingbostel.,
north Germany.

‘Parkeri’ (Erica). Fred Parker of New Plymouth, New

Zealand.

‘Randall’s Crimson’ (Calluna). Mrs. June Randall,
Dunchideock, Devon.

‘Robert Jan’ (carnea). Son of Mr. Kolster of Boskoop.

‘Scholje’s Giant’ (Calluna). Dietrich Scholjagerdes of Bad
Zwischenahn, north western Germany.

‘Scholje’s Heidebrand’ (Calluna). As above.

‘Scholje’s Superstar (Calluna). Karl-Keinz Schurig of Barmstedt.
north Germany.

‘Valerie Griffiths’ (manipuliflora x vagans). Wife of Dr. John
Griffiths of Garforth, Leeds.

Geographical Names.

‘Athole Gold’ (Calluna). Area of central Perthshire.

‘Corfu’ (manipuliflora). Where found by D. Richards in early
1970's.

‘Hayachine’ (Andromeda). Mountain of north Honshu.

‘Kirigamine’ (Andromeda). Mountain west of Tokoy.

“Muirend’ (Calluna). Muirend Farm, Comrie, where found.

‘Netherfield Orange (Calluna). (From Corvisal Nursery, 1986).

‘Nikko’ (Andromeda). National Park in central Honshu.

64

YEAR BOOK 1989

Ameliorations.

‘Chelsea Time’ is E. Jusitanica not E. arborea.

‘Corbett’s Red’ (Calluna). Bob Corbett of Corbett’s Nursery,
British Columbia.

‘Corbett’s White’ (Calluna). As above.

‘Myretoun Ruby (carnea). Myretoun, near Blairlogie. which is in
turn near Stirling.

2K KK

Cultivars Registered During 1988

The Registrar

58.

33)

60.

6l.

62.

Erica carnea ‘John Pook’. A seedling first observed in 1975 at
Syston, Leics. and put on sale by Goscote Nurseries in 1983. It is
distinctive in flowers, which are white until % open, then pink
(Hii), producing a bicolour effect. : Registered by the finder.
D. Cox of Goscote. :

Calluna vulgaris ‘Anthony Wain’. A very hardy seedling first
observed in September 1979 at Goscote Nurseries, Cossington,
Leics. and on sale from them in 1983. It is of medium height
with spreading branches, which are recurved when young, with
magenta rose (H.13) flowers in September and October.
Registered by the finder, D. Cox of Goscote.

Calluna vulgarisGolden Fleece’. A 1985 seedling at Forest
Edge Nurseries, Wimborne, Dorset. Of a compact bun-shape.
stems with a curling habit, flowers lilac, scarce. Registered by
the finder, D. Edge of Forest Edge.

Calluna vulgaris ‘Grey Seedling’. A very floriferous grey-leaved
seedling at Bracken Hill, Platt, Kent about 1981, distinguished
by its great vigour with thick stems and branches and wide
bushy growth, soon attaining 2ft. Registered by the finder,
D. McClintock. :

Calluna vulgaris ‘Kerstin’. A strong-growing seedling from
sown seed in 1983. It has deep lilac-grey foliage, colourfully
tipped pale yellow and red in spring, and mauve flower H2. It
came from the garden of Mrs. Johansson at Vargon, Sweden,
who registered it.

65

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

63.

65.

66.

67.

Calluna vulgaris ‘Sesam’. A floriferous seedling from sown seed
germinated in 1963. Its foliage varies from yellowish to orange
and rusty red; flowers lilac pink H11 in narrow erect racemes
with up to 8 deeply coloured bracts, although an early flowerer.
Registered by the finder, Mrs. Johansson.

. Erica manipuliflora x E. vagans ‘Valerie Griffiths’. A deliberate

hybrid with ‘Valerie Proudley’ as the pollen parent, made in
1983 by Dr. J. Griffiths of Leeds and named after his wife. It is a
tall bushy plant with yellow foliage going golden in summer,
and 5 - 10cm racemes of pale pink flowers, hardy in Yorkshire.
Registered by Dr. Griffiths of Garforth, Leeds.

Calluna vulgaris “Randall's Crimson’. A hardy spreading
seedling at Dunchideock, Devon in 1981 with dense crimson
flowers, rather darker than ‘Darkness’ and of a similar height.
Registered by Mrs. Randall of Dunchideock.

Erica manipuliflora ‘Don Richards’. A hardy dense erect
seedling found by Mr. Richards in the early 1970's in Corfu,
reaching 40cm and extremely floriferous with Shell Pink, H8,
flowers. Registered by A. W. Jones of West Camel.

Erica manipuliflora ‘Corfu’. A very hardy open erect seedling
found by D. Richards in the early 1970's in Corfu, with some-
what interrupted inflorescences of dark Lilac Pink, H11,
flowers. Registered by A. W. Jones of West Camel.

New Acquisitions

J. Platt, Ulnes Walton, Lancashire

(Over the years, Jack Platt must surely have grown more
new cultivars than most of us. Despite the seemingly
undiminished flow of introductions, one is still forced to
wonder at his ability to find them so consistently. As ever, I
am grateful to General Turpin and David McClintock for
providing additional information on the plants that Jack
has described this year.

Ed.)

66

YEAR BOOK 1989

Calluna vulgaris
“Anthony Wain’ Sept.-Oct.
This plant arose as a seedling which was first noticed by D.
Cox en Goscote Nurseries, Leicestershire, in 1979. It was
named after a (former) member of the nursery staff, and first
offered for sale in 1983. The flowers are H13 crimson, and are
carried on arching stems with dark green foliage. It has a neat

habit and appears to be slow growing. The name was registered
in 1988. (p. 65)

“Contorted’ re 15 cm Aug. - Sept.

Mr. R. G. Rimmer of Hinton House Nursery, Lydiate,

Merseyside found this plant on a hillside of Porth Wen,

Anglesey in September 1984. Its habit is very dwarf and spread-

ing, and it tends to produce twisted shoots which keep it close to

the ground. The foliage is bright green, and spreads to a width

of 30 to 40 cm. The finder describes the flowers as being of “the
normal wild Calluna colour, purple” (H10).

‘Gerda’ July - Sept.

This plant occurred as a seedling in the Chatelains’ garden

at Orpington, Kent in 1984. It was named after Mrs. Chatelain.

_ It has a prostrate habit and a spread of 40 cm. It is similar to C.

v. ‘Golden Carpet’, but more bronze, especially in winter. Mr.

Chatelain describes it as a “shy bloomer, the flower being of the
usual Calluna shade which I think is H2” (Mauve).

It was registered in 1986 (Year Book, 1987, p. 61 and 62).

“Gold Hamilton’

A sport found c. 1987 on ‘J.H.Hamilton’ which has gold
foliage in the spring and early summer, turning green-gold in
autumn. It has retained the compact habit and double pink
flowers of its parent. It was included in the 1988 catalogue of
Plaxtol Nurseries.

This may be the same sport as “Schurig’s Goldstern’ which
was found in Germany before 1985.

‘Grouse’
This is one of five foliage plants named after game birds
introduced by Bud Lyle of Alloa. It has a compact bushy habit,
and the foliage has tints of orange, bronze and red.

67

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

Muirend’

The flowers of this plant are H3 lavender. The foliage is
yellow in the summer and darkens to orange-red as the weather
becomes colder. It is semi-prostrate but the stems are more erect
than those of “Ronas Hill’. The original plant was found on
Muirend Farm, Comrie and it was introduced by Miss Thom of
Highland Heathers also in Comrie, Perthshire.

“Orange and Gold’

As the name suggests, the foliage of this cultivar is orange
and gold. It has a vigorous curling growth, and appears to be
faster than ‘Prostrate Orange’. The flowers are H2 mauve. It was
introduced by Clive Benson in 1988.

‘Punch’s Dessert’

This was found as a sport on ‘Firefly’ at the nursery of
Highland Heathers at Achahoish, Lochgilphead. It has gold
foliage in summer, which fades to yellow-green later in the year.
The habit of growth is narrow and erect.

‘Quail’

Another of Bud Lyle’s foliage cultivars named after game
birds, this one has distinct lime-green leaves, which sometimes
have a hint of pink. The habit is erect, and more open than
‘Grouse’.

‘Snipe’
This plant has orange foliage which fuses into bronze. The
habit is erect, and it appears to be fast growing. It is yet another
of Bud Lyle’s cultivars named after game birds.

Erica carnea

‘Allison’
The foliage is dark green. It is a vigorous plant with long
racemes and an open habit. It was listed by Plaxtol Nurseries in
1988, and is named after a helper at the nursery.

“Lake Garda’ 40 cm. Jan. - March
The distinct pale pink (H8) flowers are borne on rather erect

stems which prevents them from being splashed with soil in
heavy rain. The foliage is mid green. This first class plant was

YEAR BOOK 1989

found by David McClintock above Lake Garda in March 1977,
and was registered in 1984. (Year Book, 1985, p. 67).

‘Porter’s Red’ 20 cm. Dec. - March
This cultivar was re-introduced from America in 1983.
Some say it is identical to ‘Myretoun Ruby’. However, at Ulnes
Walton it blooms earlier and is lower growing than that cultivar
The flowers open a deep pink-red (H14). (Year Book, 1984,

p. 34).

Erica cinerea

‘Marina’ Aug. - Oct.
A low growing plant with a neat broad habit, dark green
foliage and white flowers. It is more vigorous than ‘Godrevy’. It
was found by J. G. Flecker of Kerkrade near the sea in
Brittany in 1980, and is named after his daughter. (Ericultura,

60, 19. Year Book, 1986, p. 40)

‘Rose Beauty’ July - Sept.
__ A very free flowering plant on which the rose-pink flowers
blend well with the dark green foliage. It arose as a sport on
‘Purple Beauty’ found by Bill Bretherton of Riverbank Nur-
series, Tarleton, nr. Preston.

“Stephen Leitch’

This was found as a sport of ‘C. D. Eason’ at Oliver and
Hunter's during the 1980's. The new growth is bright pink, and
darkens to orange, which lasts well into the summer. The sparse
flowers are H14, magenta and clearer than those of ‘Glencairn’.
It was named in honour of Mr. Leitch, a Doncaster surgeon and
member of the Society, for his 60th birthday. (Year Book, 1987,
p. 62)

Erica tetralix

‘Swedish Yellow’

A wild sport found on Torre Mosse, near Vannersborg in
Sweden in 1983, it has green-yellow foliage in summer, turning
clear yellow in autumn. It has an erect habit. It was registered in
1986. (Year Book, 1987, p. 61 and 63).

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THE HEATHER SOCIETY

Erica vagans

‘Chittenden’ 40 cm.
This name was known by 1934, but it was thought that
plants had not been available since the war. Several years ago
Mr. R. G. Rimmer of Hinton House Nursery, Lydiate,
Merseyside obtained a few cuttings from Liverpool Recreation
and Open Spaces Department, and is now offering this cultivar.
It has rose-pink flowers and dark green foliage. It seems to be
slow-growing. (Year Book, 1971. p. 27 The Gardener's Book

of Heathers, 1985. p. 158).

“‘Lyonesse Sport’

The foliage of this sport is gold in spring and summer, and
becomes yellow-green in winter. The flowers have retained the
white colour of the parent. It is more vigorous than ‘Yellow
John’.

6 2k 2 2 2k

Recent Writings on Heathers, 1988 |

Anon. “Spring Flowers - Heathers”, p.10; “Successful propagation -
Heathers”, p. 18, Gardening from Which, Feb. 1988.

Anon. “Heidesoorten”, Groei & Bloei, Mar. 1988, p. 46.
Pruning.

Anon. “Home grown nursery”, Sevenoaks Chronicle, 11th March
1988, p. 15.
Mrs. Tessa Forbes’s nursery at Plaxtol, Kent. “1,000 varieties of
heathers to choose from”.

Anon. “Whisky distillers support heathers”, Garden Answers, April
1988, p. 30.
Bell’s sponsorship.

Anon. “Any ideas for heaths on lime?” Garden Answers, 1988. Vol.
7, No. 6, p. 21. O.K.

Anon. “Bells funds yearly heather study”. Horticultural Week,
1988, Vol. 203, No. 23, p. 3
Bell’s heather scholarship.

Anon. Gardening from Which? Guide to Successful propagation
1988. Heaths, techniques. p. 52.

Anon. “Heather under the weather”, New Scientist, 19th Nov. 1988,
p. 19. “Heather plants are at greater risk of damage from acid rain

70

YEAR BOOK 1989

than scientists first thought”.

Anon. “Winter heaths”. Gardening from Which, Nov. 1988, p. 382.
Brief sound advice.

Anon. “The PG Good Plant Guide. Erica carnea ‘Springwood
White’ ”, Popular Gardening,k Dec. 1988, p. 32.

O.K., plus a picture.

Anon. “Acid Rain stunts heather”, Horticultural Week, 16th Dec.
1988, p. 8.

The views of Dr. M. Cresser of Aberdeen University.
Abuarhub, S. M. and Read, D. J., “The biology of the mycorrhiza of

the Ericaceae XI.” a

The distribution of nitrogen in soil of a typical upland

Callunetum with special reference to the “free” amino acids”,

New Phytologist, 1988, Vol. 108, No.4, pp 425 - 432.

The largest quantity is found from September to November.
Abuarhub, S.M. and Read, D.J. “ditto XII Quantitive analysis of
“free” amino acids in relation to time and depth in the soil profile”
ibid 1988, pp 433 - 441. 13 amino acids occurred.

Auriol Batten, Flowers of Southern Africa, 1988, pp 158 -161.
Erica bauera. pink and white with the whole plant sketched in a
black and white, the only heather in this sumptuous
production.

Beckett, Elizabeth, Wild Flowers of Majorca, Minorca and Ibiza,
Balkema, Rotterdam.

221 pages, with keys to genera and ingenious coloured keys to

the species.

Bonduel, P., “Paysages de Bruyére. Plante Vedette”, Mon Jardin et
ma Maison, Jan. 1988, pp 60 - 65.

A good account, with good pictures.

Brondegaard, V. J.. “Hvorfor hedder den dat?”, Rosenkilder op
Baggen, 1987, p. 87.

Derivation of “Ling”.

Byfield, A., “Dorset Heath Reprieved”, Plant Press, 1988, 5, p. 2.
Permission refused for a new road across Canford Heath,
Dorset.

Clarke, D. L., Trees and Shrubs Hardy, in the British Isles,
Supplement, 1988.

Andromeda pp 84 - 85; Calluna pp 129 - 130 (21 cvs listed); Erica

pp 224 - 227.

Cox, D., “Create a heather hot spot’, Garden News, 11th March
1988, p. 17.

E. x darleyensis.

71

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

Cox, D.. “Dabble in Daboecia”, Garden News, 23rd July 1988,
p. 15. A good account.

Cox, D., “Create a winter wonderland with heathers”, Garden
News, 17th Dec.1988, pp 12 - 13.

Normal pot boiler, with a photograph of “Ada S. Collins”.

Davies G. H., “Heathland Hazards”, Country Life, 24th Nov. 1988,
pp 78 - 79.

The encroachment on to the heathlands of Dorset. where Dorset
Heath is “unique to the country”.

De Vesco, G., Fornaris,G. and Montecchini, F., “La Presenza di
E. cinerea L. species atlantica sul territoria piemontei”,

Source to be traced.

E. cinerea in a new locality in Piedmont. It was originally
collected as E. carnea.

Diez, M. J. and Pastor Conesa, J. L., (in) Atlas Polinico de
Andalusia occidentalis, ed Valdes, B. et al, 1987.
pp 161 - 167. Description and SEM photomicrographs of pollen
of Calluna, Erica andevalensis, E. arborea. E. australis, E. ciliaris,
E. erigena, E. lusitanica, E. scoparia, E. terminalis and E.
umbellata. Full references, but no mention of Dr Fraga Vila!

Dupies, G., Fleurs du parc National des Pyrenees, (2 vols), 1987.
p. 82. Calluna (richly coloured) and Erica vagans only, but good
pictures and text.

Evans, S., “Conservation in Action. Heather.”, National Trust,
Wessex, 1988.

40 acres of poor quality farmland near Corfe Castle, being
restored to heather.

Foss, P. J. and Doyle, G. J., “Why has Erica erigena (the Irish
Heather) such a markedly disjunct European distribution?”,
Plants Today, 1988, Vol. 1, No. 5, pp 161 - 167.

Did it get to Ireland in the middle ages in litter?

Garcia Guardia, Gabriel, Flora sylvestris de Andalucia, 1988
p. 54. Distribution of Erica umbellata; p. 222 Calluna with a
photograph of it faded; nothing else on heathers

Gimingham, C., “A reappraisal of cyclical processes in Calluna
heath”, Vegetatio, 1988, Vol. 77, (1 - 3), pp 61 - 64.

Variability in restoring cover after gaps appear.

Gloaguen, J. C., “On the water requirements of four heathers”,
Vegetatio, 1987, Vol. 70, pp 29 - 83.

What would one expect, about Calluna, Erica ciliaris, E. cinerea
and E. tetralix .

Gomez Campo, C., “Libro rojo de especies vegetales en

amenazadas ~~”, de Espana, 1987, pp 93 - 94.

12

YEAR BOOK 1989

Erica andevalensis in danger, in case its copper-polluted
habitat gets cleaned up!

Grabherr, G. and Polatschek, A. Lebensraume und Flora
Vorarlbergs, 1986, 263 pages.

Could be useful.

Grime, P. J., Hodgson, J. G. and Hunt,R., Comparative Plant
Ecology. Unwin Hyman, 1988.

pp 144 - 145 Calluna vulgaris; pp 260 - 261 Erica cinerea.
Admirable detailed accounts of habitat requirements of these
species.

Haapasaari, M., “The oligotrophic heath vegetation of montane
Fennoscandia’, Acta bot. fennica, 1988, Vol. 135,
pp | - 29
Fascinating, but Calluna only just comes in: Phyllodoce caerulea
much more.

Hester, Alison J., “Successional vegetation change. The effect of
shading on Calluna vulgaris’, Trans. Bot. Soc. Ed., 1987, Vol. 45,
No. 2, pp 121 - 126.

Shading may be a major factor leading to the death of Calluna
beneath developing birches”.

Heyter, S., “Room for Growth”, Horticultural Week, 1988, Vol. 204,
INOwZI pp 22-25.

The amazing recent development of good prospects for nurseries
in Argyll, one of which at least grows more heathers every
year.

Hickey, M. and King, C., 100 Families of Flowering Plants,
2nd Edn, 1988.
pp 164 - 167. “E. herbacea (syn E. carnea)” with many enlarged
and detailed drawings, well annotated.

Johansson, B., “Latt att bli foralskad i lung” (Easy to fall in love
with Heathers), Tradgardsamatgrer i 50 ar, 1988, pp 99 - 102.
An excellent illustrated summary.

Johansson, B ., “Oren Fra Fro”, ibid., 1988, No. 5, pp 119 - 120.
Wise words on Calluna with fine photographs of ‘Kerstin’
and ‘Sesam’.

Kendall, R., “What is attacking my heaths?”, Garden Answers, May
1988, p. 66.

Two problems, caused by — 1) leatherjackets, 2) crown rot.

Kostalova, D., (Plant diuretics), Nase Liecivé Rastliny, 1987, Vol. 28,
No. 4, pp 101 - 104.

Calluna contains cardiac glycosides.

73

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

Kristinsson, H., A Guide to the Flowering Plants and Ferns of
Iceland, Rejkavik, 1987.

365 species beautifully illustrated with distribution maps, text in
English.

Lamb, A. J. and Klaussner, E., “Responses of Fynbos shrubs Protea
repens and Erica plukenetii to low levels of nitrogen and
phosphorus applications”. South African Journal of Botany.
1987, Vol. 54, No. 6 pp 558 -564.

Nitrogen plus phosphorus produced increased height, girth and
biomass in the Eric:

Lunardi, C., Macdonald Encyclopedia of Shrubs and Trees,

1988.

No. 8 Calluna vulgaris with unnamed picture apparently of
‘Sellingsloh’.

No. 32. E. arborea with picture apparently of ‘Alpina’, and other
species scrappily mentioned.

Marrs, R. H., “The role of catastrophic death in heathland
dynamics”, Vegetatio, 1986, Vol. 66, pp 109 - 115.

Account of Calluna killed by adverse climatic conditions in East
Anglia in 1976 - 9.

Nelson, E. C., “Erica erigena R. Ross and E. erigena f. alba (Bean)

D. McClintock”, (in) An Irish Florilegium II, 1987. pp 58
- 60 and PI. 11.
A good account, and a fine painting by Mrs. Walsh.

Nilsson, C., Nordisk Fjeldflora, Bonnilis, (c. £15).

Covers Finland, Norway and Sweden, 272 pp. Omits Erica
cinerea.

Oliver, E. G. H., “Studies in the Ericoideae (Ericaceae) VII. The
placing of the genus Philippia into synonomy under Erica; the
southern African species”, South African Journal of Botany,
1987, Vol. 53, No. 6, pp 455 - 458.

15 species dealt with: six new names - E. altiphila, E. draco-
ontana, E. esteriana, E. exleeana, E. madida and E. patricola.
cfp: 50

Oliver, E. G. H., “Studies in the Ericoideae (Ericaceae) VI. The
generic relationship between Erica and Philippia in southern
Africa”, Bothalia, 1988, Vol. 18, No. 1, pp 1 - 10.

“It is concluded that Philippia should be placed in synonomy
under Erica”.

Oudshoorn, W., “Erica x darleyensis niet langs natuurlijke weg
onstaan”, Tuin & Landcschap, 1987, VOI. 23, p. 19.

Not as accurate as one expected from a former Chairman of
Ericultura!

74

YEAR BOOK 1989

Pachelis, P. and Klein, M., ‘Inhaltsatoffe von Andromeda
polifolia”, Planta Medica, 1987, Vol. 53, No. 5, pp 447 - 454.
“Analaysis of the aerial parts of this species, which is toxic to
man, yielded a new flavonid dipentoside (here named poli-
folioside) in addition to the known compounds.

Pearce, P., (letter from), “Taking heather cuttings”, Garden News,
16th July 1988, p. 8.

The reply recommended a somewhat different routine from
David Small’s of a week earlier. See below

Petterssen, E.,“Bruk av varling i vestlandshager. Meldingasblad for
Hageselskapet avd”. Nordland, 1988, No. 2.

A special four-page leaflet on Erica carnea.

Raabe, E. W., Atlas der Flora Schweswig-Holsteins und Hamburgs,
Wachholtz-verlag, 1987, p. 304.

Erica tetralix and Calluna, very detailed distribution maps, Nos
715 and 716, plus useful text.

Roberson, F. K., “Ground cover”, Washington Park Arboretum
Bulletin, Vol. 51, No. 2, p. 20.

Andromeda polifolia cvs (and photographs) and Erica carnea
CVS.

St George, Julie, “Local heather growers bring little bit of Scotland

to Cape”.

Cape Cod Times Magazine, 5th Nov. 1988, p. 3.

K. and B. Erikson’s nursery of Rock Spray, North Eastham,
and the MacKinnon’s at Waquoit, Falmouth, Mass.

Sjogren, E., Acores, Flores 1984.

Daboecia azorica and Erica azorica “Green Heather” described
in four languages plus colour photographs. that of trees of the
latter most impressive.

Smali, D.,“Hobby Plants - Winter Heathers”, Amateur Gardening,
27th Jan 1988, p. 10.

Good brief pithy summary.

Small, D., “Heathers. Plants to last”, 1bid., 20th Feb. 1988. p. 13.
Planting advice for winter-flowerers, including E.
mediterranea!

Small, D., “Height of colour”, 1bid., 19th March 1988, p. 13.

Tree heaths, picture of E. australis.

Small, D., “In Shape for summer”, ibid., 16th April 1988, p. 36.
Pruning.

Small, D., “Daboecias”, ibid., 14th May 1988, p. 36.

A brief summary with an awful picture of a “pink” plant.

75

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

Small, D., “Midsummer Belle”, ibid., 11th June 1988, p. 9.
On Enica cinerea, with a ghastly picture of “Velvet Night’.

Small, D., “New growth, new plants”, ibid., 9th July 1988, p. 32.
Taking cuttings.

Small, D., “Spoilt for choice”, ;1bid., 6th Aug. 1988, p. 12.
14 Callunas selected.

Small, D., “Cornish delights”, ibid., 3rd Sept. ;1988, p. 12.
E. vagans, with picture of ‘Valerie Proudley’.

Small D., “Southern Stars”, ibid., 29th Oct. 1988, p. 29.
More on Cape heaths. Picture of E. baccans.

Small, D., “Heathers suitable for sinks”, ibid., 26th Nov. 1988,
p. 12.
200 words plus a good photograph of ‘Ann Sparkes’.

Small, D., “A sporting chance”, ibid., 24th Dec. 1988, p. 62.
Sports.

Swindells, P., “All weather heathers”, Garden Answers, 1988, Vol. 7,
No. 6, pp 15 - 19.
O.K., but a dull set of cvs and E. x darleyensis the only

hybrid.

van de Laar, H. J., “Erica carnea ‘Challenger ”, Dendroflora, 1988,
Vol. 24, p. 49.
This “marked improvement” on ‘Vivellii’ awarded a silver medal
in 1987.

van de Venter, H. A., and Esterhuisen, A. D., “The effect of factors
associated with fire on seed germination of Erica sessiliflora and
E. hebecalyx”, South African Journal of Botany, 1988, Vol. 54, No.
3, pp 301 - 311.
The effect differed in these two species. Gases released during
burning may also affect germination.

Weeda, C. J., Westra, R., Ch. and T., Nederlandse oecologische
Flora, Hilversum, 1988, pp 33 - 46.

Covers, with beautiful photographs and paintings, Andromeda,
Calluna and Erica ciliaris, E. cinerea, E. scoparia, E. tetralix.
Whitsey. F.. “A Covering Note”, Weekend Telegraph. 29th Crt.

1988, VI.
Use Bell and Cornish heaths as edging to shrub beds.
Wilkins, M., “Nursery return”, Practical Gardening, Oct.
1988, p. 9.
Peter Foley's Holden Clough Nursery - but heathers only just
mentioned.
Woodsman, “Gone for good?”, Horticultural Week, 18th March
1988, p. 50.
“What has happened to the once popular heaths”, with a

76

YEAR BOOK 1989

photograph of E. tetralix captioned “Is it still in existence?” - but
with next to nothing on heaths in the text.
(replies on 7th April from Graham Thomas etc).

There have also been useful articles in our contemporaries
Ericultura, Der Heidegarten, Heather News and: NE Heather
Society Newsletter. Help in drawing attention to articles on
heathers is always welcome.

NURSERYMEN MEMBERS

* Further details in our advertisements. We thank these members for the
support which they give to the Year Book.

W Wholesale only
W/R Members who cater for both wholesale and retail trade.
Nurseries in this group, and the preceding one, welcome
enquiries from other traders needing supplies.
MO Nurserymen who are willing to supply plants by “mail
order’.
All other nurserymen members cater for retail trade only.

ZONE 1. Scotland
/R/ Mr. R. J. BRIEN, Pitcairngreen Heather Farm, Perth,
Perthshire.
W/R/ Mr. and Mrs. O. W. CARTWRIGHT, East Lodge, Blairhoyle,
Port of Menteith, Stirling, FKO 3LF.
W/R/ Mr. A. Hall, Rosebay Cottage, The Sheep, Mellerstain.,
Gordon, Berwickshire, TD3 6LO.
/R/ Mr. D. A. LAMBIE, Speyside Heather Centre, West End, Skye
of Curr, Dulnain Bridge, Inverness-shire.
/R/ Mr. D. C. MACARTHUR, Camore Gardens, Dornoch,
Sutherland, IV25 3MX.
/R/MO Mr. C. P. PIPER, Pennyacre Nurseries, Crawley House,
Springfield, Fife, KY1S 3RU.
W/R/ Mr. G. S. STURROCK, Angus Heathers, 10 Guthrie Street,
Letham, Angus, DDO 2PS.
/R/ Mr. P. D. TARRY, Dal-Mhor, 37 Breakish, Isle of Skye,
TV42 8QA.
/R/ Mr. D. H. TODD, The Nook, Annfield, Alayth, Perthshire,
PH11 8ET.
W// Mr. C. A. WESTON, Whitehills, Newton Stewart, DGO
6GL.

TT

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

/R/ Mr. D. W. WILLIAMSON, T. & W. Christie (Forres) Ltd., The
Nurseries, Forres, Morayshire, 1V36 8EA.
W/W/MO Mr. J. D. WILSON,Messrs. Oliver and Hunter, Moniave ,
Thornhill, Dumfries-shire.

ZONE 2 Ireland

W/R/ Mr. & Mrs. T. R. R. CARSE, Scrabo Nurseries, Glen Hill
Cottage, 12. Dallyrogan Park, Newtownards, Co. Down.
N.Ireland, DT20 4SD.

W/R/ Mrs. M. HANNA, 162, Lisnevenagh Road, Antrim, Co.
Antrim, N. Ireland, DT41 2JJ.

/R/MO Mr. P. KANE, Kane Bros. Nursery. 92 Dundrinne Road,

Castlewellan, Co. Down, N.Ireland. DT31 9EX.

W/R/ Mr. & Mrs. D. KERINS, Fernhurst Garden Nurseries,
Killowen, Kenmare, C. Kerry, Republic of Ireland.

ZONE 3. North East.
W/R/ Mr. & Mrs. W. CROW, Starraig Nead, Scots Gap, Morpeth,
Northumberland, NC61 4EQ.
/ /MO Mr. C. GRIFFITHS, Clifton Garden Nurseries, 1 Office Row,
Eldon, Bishop Auckland, Co. Durham, DL14 6XA.
/R/ Messrs. J. D. & G.M. LISHMAN, Heighley Gate Garden Cen-
tre, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 9DA.
/R/ Mr. P. R. SANDERSON, The Nurseries, Ulgham Grange,
Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 3AX.

ZONE 4.North West
W/R/ Mr. & Mrs. J. CURRAN, Rosedale Nurseries, Butchers Lane,
Aughton, Nr. Ormskirk, Lancashire, L09 6SY.
W// Mr. T. FODEN, Foden Nurseries, Rowley House, Ker-
mincham, Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, CW4 8DX.
W/R/ R. HOLMES & SONS, The Nurseries, Natland, Kendal,
Cumbria, LA7 70C.
W/R/ Mr. & Mrs. J. KENNEDY, 3 Greten How, Gretna, Carlisle,
CA6 SOB. ‘
/R/ Mr. & Mrs. P. LOMAS, Middle Lane Nurseries, Middle Lane,
Duglawton, Congleton, Cheshire, CW12 3PU.
/R/ Mr. P. J. NAISBY, Moss House Nurseries, Justicetown,
, Westlinton, Carlisle, Cumbria CA6 6AN.
W// Mr. & Mrs. R. G. RIMMER, Hinton House, Pygons Hill,
Lydiate, Nr. Nr. Liverpool, Merseyside L31 4JF

ZONE 5. Humberside and Yorkshire.
W/R/ Mr. C. F. BARNES, Doretree Nurseries, Grimston, Hull
Road, York YP1 5LE
W/R/ Mr. G. P. VICKERS, 139 Swinston Hill Road, Dinnington,
Sheffield, S. Yorkshire $31 7RY.

78

YEAR BOOK 1989

ZONE 6. East Midlands
W/R/ Mr. A. ANNABEL, Springwood, 22 Church Drive,
Ravenshead, Nottingham NG15 9 FG.
W/R/MO CRAIL NURSERIES LTD. Newstead Abbey Park, Linby,
Nottingham NGI5 8GD.
/R/ Mr. & Mrs. L. JONES, Linden Lodge, Station Road,
Broughton Astley, Leicestershire LE9 6PU.
/R/ Mr. G.M. SALMON, Ash Tree Nurseries, 14 Shepherds Way,
Uppingham, Oakham, Leicestershire LE15 9PW.
W// Mr. & Mrs. J. P. SWAIN, Pinfold Nursery, Main Street,
Burton Overy, Leicester LE8 ODL
W/R/ Mr. H. J. TOMLINSON, Greenwood Gardens, Ollerton
Road, Arnold, Nottingham NGS 8PR

ZONE 7. West Midlands.
W/R/ Mr. J. L. ALLEN, Green Beech Nursery, Oxleys Road.
Wishaw, Sutton Coldfield, W. Midlands B76 9PA
/R/ Mr. G. J. COOKES, Little Froome, 2 Drayton Lane, Fenny
Drayton, Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV10 6A2.
/R/ Mrs. B. I. EVANS, Ridgeway Heather Nursery, Horderley
Farm, Horderley, Craven Arms, Salop SY7 OHP.
W// Mr. & Mrs. M. EVERETT, Greenacres Nursery. Bringsty.
Worcester WR6 STA
W// Mr. D. KISBY, Westhaven Nursery & Co. 6 Tythe Barn Close,
Stoke Heath, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire B60 3QP.
/R/ Mr. & Mrs. A. E. LOVEYS, 88 Haycroft Drive, St. Leonards
Park, Gloucester GL4 9XX
W/R/ Mr. & Mrs. R. WARNER, Barncroft Nurseries, Dunwood
| Lane, Longsdon, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST9 9QW.
/R/ Mrs. H. WARREN, Conifers, 10 Outwoods Street, Burton-on-
Trent, Staffordshire DE14 2PJ

ZONE 8. Wales
W/R/ Mr. J. D. M. FORD, Deacons Nurseries, Hilltop, Sunnybank,
Brecon, Powys LD8 7RW.

ZONE 9. Eastern
W/R/ Mr. & Mrs. D. J. DOSLEY, D.J.C.C. Heathers, Pandora,
Elsing Road, Lyng, Norwich, Norfolk NR9 SRP
/R/MO CHRIS BOWERS AND SONS, Whispering Trees Nursery.
Wimbotsham, Norfolk PE84 8QB
W// Mr. & Mrs. I. E. COLE, Gwithian, Chelmsford Road,
Rawreth, Wickford, Essex SS11 8SY.
/R/ Mr. & Mrs. G. J. DYER, 86 Goshawk Drive. Chelmsford.
Essex CM2 OXP.
/R/MO Mr. & Mrs. B. A. GODFREY, Dridge Nurseries, Dunwich, Nr.
Saxmundham, Suffolk IP17 3DZ.

79

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

W/R/MO Mr. & Mrs. D. F. HIPPERSON, Norwich Heather & Conifer
Ctr, 54a Yarmouth Road, Thorpe, Norwich, Norfolk
IP21 4QP.
W/R/ Mr. & Mrs. H. B. OAKES, The Nurseries, Pulham St. Mary,
Diss, Norfolk IP21 4QQ.
W// Mrs. P. RODWELL, Upminster Lodge Nurseries, Tomkyns
Lane, Upminster, Essex RM14 1TP.
W/R/MO Mr. & Mrs. D. J. SMALL, Denbeigh Heather Nurseries, All
Saints Road, Creeting St. Mary, Ipswich, Suffolk IP6 8PJ
W/R/ Mr. & Mrs. M. J. STRUTT, Woodland Nursery, Gardiners
Lane, North Crays Hill, Billericay, Essex CM11 2XE.
/R/ Mr. & Mrs. C. J. WHITAKER, 51 Gilmore Way, Great
Baddow, Chelmsford, Essex CM2 7AP.
W/R/ Mr. & Mrs. S. D. YOUENS, The Gardens, Holkham Park,
Wells-next-the-sea, Norfolk NR23 1AB.

ZONE 10. North Thames
W/R/ Mr. S. CHEETHAM, Askett Nurseries, Flowery Field, Askett,
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP17 9LY.

ZONE 11. Southern
W/R/ Mr. & Mrs. R. W. S. DIGGS, Ockham House, Bodiam,
Robertsbridge, E. Sussex TN32 5RA.
/R/ Mr. & Mrs. J. FRANCIS, The Nursery. 37 Stone Lane.
Worthing, W. Sussex BN13 2BA.
W/R/MO Plaxtol Nurseries, Spoute Cottage, Plaxtol, Sevenoaks, Kent
TN15 OQR.
W/R/ Mr. H. F. TAIT, 11 Water Slippe, Hadlow, Tonbridge, Kent
TN11 OEP.
W/R/ Mr. & Mrs. D. J. THORPE, Strikers Nursery, Stilland Farm.
Plaistow Road, SUSE Godalming, Surrey
GU8 4SX.
/R/ Mr. & Mrs. G. A. WALTERS, 8 Barn Crescent, Newbury.
Berkshire RG14 6HD.
W// WINDLESHAM COURT NURSERIES, London Road,
(A30), Windlesham, Surrey.

ZONE 12. South West
W/R/ Mr. & Mrs. D. CHALK, Polden Acres, Edington, Bridewates
Somerset TA7 9HA.
W// Mr. & Mrs. D. M. EDGE, Forest Edge Nursery, Verwood
Road, Woodlands, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 6LJ.
/R/ FURZEY GARDENS, Charitable Trust, Minstead,
Lyndhurst, Hampshire SO4 7GL.
/R/ HEATHERWOOD NURSERIES, Merley Park Road,
Wimborne, Dorset.

80

YEAR BOOK 1989

W/R/MO Mr. D. G. JOHN, 366 Wallisdown Road, Bournemouth,
Dorset BH11 8PS.
W/R/MO Mr. & Mrs. A. W. JONES, Otters’ Court Heathers, West
Camel, Yeovil, Somerset BA22 7QF.
W// Mr. & Mrs. R. KOERPER, Battle House Gardens, Bromham,
Chippenham, Wiltshire SN15 2EX.
/R/ NAKED CROSS NURSERIES, Waterloo Road, Corfe
Mullen, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 3SR.
/R/ Mr. & Mrs. D. K. PRICE, Orchardleigh Nursery, Botley Road,
Bishops Waltham, Hampshire SO3 IDR.
/R/ Mr. & Mrs. H. PRINGLE, 166 Woodlands Road, Ashurst,
Southampton, Hampshire SO4 2AP.
/R/ Mr. & Mrs. A. J. SELFE, Copperfield, Chatter Alley,
Dogmersfield, Basingstoke, Hampshire.
W// Mr. & Mrs. F. WHYMARK, 2 Heath Villas, Hollywater,
Dordon, Hampshire GU35 OAH.

Zone 13. Far Westl

W/R/ BERRYDOWN PRODUCTS LTD. “Berrydown”, Gidleigh,

Nr. Chagford, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ13 8HS.
W/R/MO Mr. & Mrs. N. FROGGATT, Woodland Nursery, Garras,

Helston, Cornwall TR12 6LN.

W/R/ Mr. & Mrs. C. IVINS, Trewince Nurseries, Trewince Lane,
St. Issey, Cornwall PL27 7RL.

W/R/ Mr. & Mrs. R. A. NOYCE, Watering Lane Nursery,
Pentewan, St. Austell, Cornwall PL26 6BE.

Zone 145. Overseas
S/R/ Mr. & Mrs. J. BYWATER, 22 Winchester Avenue, Halifax,
Nova Scotia, B3P 2C8 Canada.
/R/ Mrs. R. M. KNIGHT, Heather Acres Inc. 62 Elma-Monte
Road, Elma WA 98541 USA.
W// Mr. K. KRAMER, Edammer Strasse 26, 2905 Edewecht-
Suddorf, West Germany.
/R/ Mr. H. WESTERMANN, D.3045 Bispingen, Baumschul-
enweg 2, West Germany.
/R/ Mr. D. WILSON, 6227 Hopedale Road, Sardis B.C. V2R
1B3 Canada

eH a 2

LOCAL ORGANISERS

ZONE 2. Ireland.
Mrs. E. CLAVERT, Mimosa. 10 Manse Road, Newtownards, Co.
Down, Northern Ireland BT23 4TP.

81

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

Mrs. J. M. S. McCOLLUM, The Orchard, Lucan, Co. Dublin,
Ireland.

ZONE 3. North East.
Mrs. D. M. WARNER, “Littlecroft”, Ponteland, Newcastle-on-Tyne
NE20 9BQ.

ZONE 4. Merseyside
Mr. R. H. P. PICKERING, 19 Bushby Park, Formby, Liverpool
L37 2EE:

ZONE 5. Yorkshire

Dr. K. C. BARRACLOUGH, 19 Park Avenue, Chapeltown, Shef-
field S30 4WH.

(Hon. Secretary/Treasurer of the Heather Group of the Northern
Horticultural Society, Harlow Car).

ZONE 6. East Midlands.
Mr. LEIGHTON-JONES, Linden Lodge, Station Road, Bpouenion
Astley, Leicester.

ZONE 7, West Midlands
Mrs. D. EVERETT, Greenacres Nursery, Bringsty, Worcester
WR6 STA.

ZONE 10. North Thames
Mr. A. J. STOW, Widmour, Limmer Lane, High Wycombe, Buc-
kinghamshire HP12 4QR.

ZONE 11. Southern
Mr. & Mrs. J. B. VICKERY, “Timberly”, Ringley? Park Avenue,
Reigate, Surrey, RH2 7DN.

Zone 12, South West

Mr. P. L. JOYNER, 84 Kinross Road, Rushington, Totton,
Southampton, SO4 4BN.

3 26 2 2k

82

YEAR BOOK 1989
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
FINANCE AND GENERAL PURPOSES

Mr. D. B. OLIVER, 17 Hayclose Crescent, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9
TNT. (chairman).

Mr. D. M. EDGE, Forest Edge Nursery, Verwood Road
Woodlands, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 6LJ.

Mr. P. J. JOYNER, 84 Kinross Road, Rushington, Totton, ,
Southampton SO4 4BN.

Mrs. P. B. LEE, Birches, Kingswood Firs, Grayshott, Hindhead,
Surrey GU25 6EX. ©

Mr. D. J.T. MAYNE, 16, Poplar Avenue, Kirkbymoorside,
Yorks, YO6 6ES.

Mr. D. H. E. ROPE, Clouds, 38 Vernon Crescent, Ravenshead, Not-
tinghamshire NGIS_ 6BL.

Maj.-Gen. P. G. TURPIN, Cottswood, West Clandon, Guildford,
Surrey, GU4 7UW.

PUBLICATIONS

Mrs. D. H. JONES, Otters’ Court, West Camel, Somerset BA22 7QF
(Chairman)

Mr. A. HALL, 18 Albury Avenue. Cheam. Surrey
SH2 7ST.

Mr. A.W. JONES, Otters’ Court. West Camel. Somerset
BA22 7QF.

Mr. P. L. JOYNER, 84 Kinross Road, Rushington, Totton,
Southampton SO4 4BN.

Mr. D. B. OLIVER, 17 Hayclose Crescent, Kendal, Cumbria
LAY 7NT.

Mr. A. J. STOW, Widmour,Limmer Lane, High Wycombe, Buc-
kinghamshire HP12 4QR.

TECHNICAL

Mr. D. J. SMALL, Denbeigh, All Saints Road, Creeting St. Mary,
Ipswich, Suffolk IP6 8PJ (Chairman)

Mr. D. CHALK, Polden Acres Gardens, Edington, Bridgwater,
Somerset TA7 7HA.

Mrs. D. EVERETT, Greenacres Nursery, Bringsty, Worcester
WR6 STA.

Mr. A. W. JONES, Otters’ Court, West Camel, Somerset BA22
TOF.

83

THE HEATHER SOCIETY

Mr. T. A. JULIAN, Lee Wood, Reservoir Road, Whaley Bridge,
Derbyshire.

Mr. H. L. NICHOLSON, Farm Cottage, Westcott Road, Dorking,
Surrey RH4 3EB.

Mr. T. L. UNDERHILL, Fairlight, Mill Cross, Rattery, South Brent,
Devon TQ10 9LB.

Mr. G. P. VICKERS, 139 Swinston Hill Road, Dinnington,
Sheffield S31 7RY.

ALTAG ALUMINIUM LABELS
White, black, grey or brown
Choose from 6 standard T shapes, 2 width of stick labels made to
any length.
Many other styles of display labels made to your requirements.

Please send 2 first class stamps for samples to
ALTAG
19 Friends Avenue, Margate, Kent CT9 3XE
Phone (24 hours) 0843 227744

84

Barncroft Nurseries

(R. Warner, S. Warner B.Sc.(Hort) M.I. Hort)

Plants for heather gardens

Our policy is to grow all types of plants which we believe associate well
with heathers, and which may be required to provide the complete
heather garden — whether it is a single small bed or many acres in
extent.

In furtherance of our policy we grow:
CONIFERS — OVER 400 VARIETIES IN VARIOUS SIZES —
FROM Abies to Tsuga J
SHRUBS AND TREES — over 300 varieties including extensive range
of ericaceous subjects, and of course
HEATHERS, more than 400 varieties selected from the 800 or so
varieties of heathers in our garden and stockbeds and which are now

available in three sizes: standard in 8cm pots: larger size plants in 12.5
cm pots and specimen size plants in 23cm pots.

RETAIL OPENING HOURS: The gardens (which extend to over an
acre) and nursery are open every Friday. Saturday and Sunday from 9
a.m. until 7 p.m. (or earlier dusk).

(WHOLESALE AND LANDSCAPE CUSTOMERS
Monday - Thursday please)

Dunwood Lane, Longsdon, Stoke-on-Trent
(Off AS3, 3 miles west of Leek)
Phone Leek (0538) 384310, 372111
SORRY, STRICTLY NO POSTAL TRADE
Plants are obtainable only by collection from the nursery
MACCLESFIELD

LONGSDON

85

Naked Cross Nurseries

(inc. Maxwell and Beale)

The Heather Specialists
Waterloo Road, Corfe Mullen, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 3SR
Proprietors: P. French, J. Paddon. Also Herbaceous border plants

‘WOODLAND NURSERY’

HEATHERS AND CONIFERS

GOOD SELECTION AVAILABLE

RETAIL AND TRADE

Gardiners Lane North

Grays Hill, Billericay (ADJ A127)

0268 - 21915 Esex. CM11 2XE

.#.°\ THE BRITISH HEATHER
ihe GROWERS ASSOCIATION

he wa
ee mens

BENEFITS THE GROWERS _ Regular Meetings
Nursery visits
Up to date Cultural
information
Clonal selection scheme

Group purchasing facilities

BENEFITS THE CUSTOMER Bed labels
Promotional leaflets
Improved quality and
labelling

Chairman: John Hall, Windlesham Court Nursery 0996 21456

86

PENNYACRE NURSERIES

Heathers and Dwarf Conifers
Nearly 200 varieties available individually or in
collections
Despatched by first class post, S.A.E. for descriptive
list to:
PENNYACRE NURSERIES (H).Springfield, Fife,
KY15 SRU

Speyside Heather/Garden

Centre
Dulnain Bridge, Inverness-shire, Scotland PH26 3PA

(Betty and Davie Lambie)
where better to view approx. 300 varieties of Heathers than in the
heart of the Central Highlands of Scotland? Our Centre is situated in
the shadow of The Cairngorm Mountains — a short walk from the
River Spey
TEAROOM - open Spring, Summer andAutumn _ Tel:047985 359

BLUE, GOLD, GREEN, AND VARIEGATED DWARF
AND SLOW GROWING

QUALITY CONIFERS

Over 100 varieties grown as well as many heathers

H. WARREN Open daily 9.30 a.m. - 5.30 p.m.
10 Outwoods Street Tel for evening appointments
Burton-on-Trent Tel: 0283-43913
Staffordshire (evenings)

M. G. FRYE HEATHERS

The Willows, Poors Lane North, Daws Heath
Thundersley, Essex SS7 2XF

Plants despatched throughout UK
CATALOGUE FREE (Send stamp)
NURSERY OPEN DAILY 8 A.M. - Dusk except Wednesdays
Telephone: Southend (0702) 558467

87

RIDGWAY HEATHER NURSERY
HORDERLEY FARM
HORDERLEY
Nr. CRAVEN ARMS (off A489)
Shropshire

High quality container grown Heather propagated from our
own Heather garden. Excellent range of Dwarf Conifers.
Collections only Closed Mondays
Heather Society Members particularly welcome

Mrs. Brenda Evans
CRAVEN ARMS 2248

PLAXTOL ®:5"
NURSERIES |

FOR HARDY PLANTS, HEATHERS
AND DWARF CONIFERS.

We propeyate and HE ale N

A227
Qrow our own. Ightham

OPEN 6 DAYS A WEEK S— il BADR
L,

10am — 5pm Closed Fridays

Plaxtol Nurseries, The Spoute, Plaxtol, |! a ee
Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 0OR Shipbourne == Street
Plaxtol (0732) 810550 Tonbridge

Mail orders welcome. Catalogue 5op

88

BLAIRHOYLE NURSERY

(on edge of Trossachs)

Blairhoyle, Port of Menteith, Stirling
(on A 873 between Stirling and Aberfoyle)
Telephone: 087 75 669

High quality container grown Heathers at com-
petitive prices. Also small selective varieties of
conifers, alpines and shrubs.

View our display beds at your leisure in
pleasant surroundings.

Windlesham Court
Nursery

London Road (A30) Windlesham,
Surrey
GU20 6LJ
Ascot (0990) 21456

WHOLESALE GROWERS OF HEATHERS
Visits by Heather Society Groups
welcome but by appointment please

89

BRIDGE NURSERIES

(Joan and Brian Godfrey)

We specialise in high quality heathers grown in 3’ inch pots. Why not spend a
day at the seaside of our beautiful unspoilt coastline, go birdwatching at the
famous MINSMERE bird reserve, and then visit our display beds at the same
time? We also do mail order in collections of 10, - Summer, Winter, and Mixed, or
your own personal selection. Please send s.a.e. for free a to:

Please send s.a.e. for free Catalogue to:
Bridge Nurseries, Dunwick, Nr. Saxmundham, Suffolk, IP17 3DZ.
Telephone: Westleton (072 873) 270

D & M Everett

Greenacres Nursery, Bringsty, Worcester WR6 STA
Telephone: Bromyard (0885) 82206

Specialists in Heathers and Dwarf Conifers
Heather Society Members especially welcome, but please
telephone in advance to ensure that someone will be available

to talk to you. |

Otters’ Court Heathers

ee West Camel, Yeovil, Somerset.

{eon
Pigs

ee Tel: 0935 850285

— —

(% mile south of A303 trunk road to the south-west)

We specialise in a wide range of lime-tolerant
heathers and dwarf conifers and welcome
visitors who wish to see these plants established

in our own garden.

Please send 2 x 15p in stamps for catalogue or Tel. Marston
Magna (0935) 850285

90

ores i , Wholesale Supplier of
Fage : je High Quality Heathers

Nurseries °~ “to Nurseries and
Garden Centres.

D.M. & D.M.A. EDGE, Woodlands . Wimbome Dorset .
BH21 6LJ Tel: 0202 824387 ~-

Clifton Garden Nurseries
Heathers and Dwarf Conifers
Container grown in 1%” P. 60
Nursery open by appointment only

Tel: 0388 773045

SAE for Mail order price list to Clifton Garden Nurseries, 1
Office Row, Eldon, Bishop Auckland, Co. Durham, DL14
8XA

Matepipg Lane Rupsepy
CORNISH NURSERY STOCK
PENTEWAN — ST. AUSTELL —
OPEN DAILY CORNWALL PL26 6BE

Telephone: (0726) 69695
GROWERS OF A WIDE RANGE OF HEATHERS —
DWARF CONIFERS — AZALEAS —
RHODODENDRONS — SHRUBS etc.

What a shame!
Your Nursery could have had its name
JUST HERE

Seen by all our members
Write for special members rates for
1990 to the Society

91

Denbeigh Heathers

for quality rooted cuttings

Try us for the unusual or rare
amongst the 600 cultivars we supply

To find our more, send for our catalogue
12 first class stamps please)to:-

DAVID SMALL

DENBEIGH HEATHER NURSERIES
All Saints road, Creeting St. Mary,
IPSWICH;

Suffolk

IP6 8PJ

Tel: 0449 711220 (after 6 p.m.)

92

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