Ericas

These small, sun-loving, evergreen shrubs provide a colourful display

- GRAHAM RICE

ERICAS are small, twiggy, evergreen, sun-loving, mostly lime-hating flowering shrubs. The short, needle-like leaves are usually dark green, though some varieties have leaves in other colours, and are carried on neat and bushy plants. The flowers are like tiny bells clustered towards the tops of the stems. The chocolate-coloured, pollen-bearing anthers often peep out from inside the flowers creating a pretty two-tone effect.

There are more than 800 different species of ericas, growing wild in Europe, Asia and Africa. Although only a small proportion are grown in gardens, many of the most popular varieties also bring the benefit of coloured foliage that adds to the display. Most of the familiar varieties are very cold hardy.

Ericas grow wild in well-drained, often sandy, soils and replicating these conditions works well in gardens. They dislike clay soils and wet soils but often do well in containers.

Two kinds of ericas

Ericas fall naturally into two main groups - winter and spring-flowering ericas, and summer and autumn-flowering ericas.

Where to plant ericas

PLANT ericas in sites with at least six hours of sun in summer, preferably more. Ericas will take all day sun in most areas. The soil should be sandy, well-drained and not too rich - good drainage is vital as ericas hate waterlogged soil.

Ericas are best planted in groups of three, five or more so that as they mature the foliage knits together to create a weed-suppressing carpet. If you have a range of different varieties, think about how their colours and flowering seasons will work well together and consider the foliage colour, too. The leaves of some varieties change colour as the seasons change.

Winter and spring-flowering ericas