Calluna vulgaris ‘Winter Chocolate’ – Something always seems to be going on with this spectacular Scotch Heather – be it the lime green (with hints of gold and orange) summer foliage, the salmon-red spring tips, the pale lavender late summer (August to October) blooms or the chocolate-tipped rose red winter foliage. Grows 12-18″ high by 18-24″ wide. Hardy to zone 5.
Calluna vulgaris ‘Firefly’ – This RHS Award of Garden Merit winner features deep mauve flowers (in Aug-Sept) beautifully contrasted by the chartreuse summer foliage (with a lime green core). The needles start turning a terracotta colour by fall and shift to a dramatic brick red for winter. Pair with Pennisetum ‘Hameln’. Grows 18-20″ high by 24″ wide. Hardy to zone 5.
Calluna vulgaris ‘Multicolor’ – A hard-to-find Scotch Heather that is slow growing and has a low, spreading growth habit. The pale mauve flowers (borne August to September) are carried over bright gold and lime summer foliage (with hints of copper) – hence the name ‘Multicolor’. The spring tips are scarlet and the foliage is reddish-orange in winter. Grows 6″ high by 15-18″ wide. Zone 5.
Calluna vulgaris ‘Dark Beauty’ – This floriferous sport of Calluna vulgaris ‘Darkness’ is another RHS Award of Garden Merit winner. It is one of the darkest flowering Scotch Heathers with semi-double bright reddish-purple blooms that age to a deep ruby red. These are borne from August to October over bright green foliage. Grows 8-10″ high by 18″ wide. Hardy to zone 5.
Calluna vulgaris ‘Kinlochruel’ – This Scotch Heather is beautiful both in bud and in bloom. The abundant tiny white buds are sharply silhouetted by the deep green foliage and open to fluffy fully double flowers (from July to August) that smother the plant. The foliage takes on bronzed tips in winter. Prefers part to full sun. AGM. Grows 16″ high by 24″ wide. Hardy to zone 5.
Mike's Garden Top 5 Plants 