Erica carnea ‘Myretoun Ruby’

winter heath

  • © Richie Steffen / Great Plant Picks

  • © Richie Steffen / Great Plant Picks

Outstanding Qualities

winter heaths provide months of color just when we seems to need it most. 'Myretoun Ruby' has hundreds of small, urn-shaped flowers that open dusty rose and deepen through magenta to rich, ruby-red. They cover this low-spreading, evergreen shrub from January through May, creating an excellent groundcover for sunny locations or adding interest to winter containers. winter heaths also produce nectar that attracts bees on mild winter days. This cultivar received high ratings from judges during a GPP evaluation held in 2003 at VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver, B.C. Judges commented that the color was like no other they had seen among the winter heaths. This cultivar was raised from seed at Myretoun, Scotland, by A. Porteous.

Quick Facts

Plant Type: shrub

Growth Habit: spreading

Foliage Type: evergreen

Plant Height (10-year): 0 ft. 6 in. (0.15 meters)

Plant Width/Spread (10-year): 1 ft. 4 in. (0.40 meters)

Plant Height-Mature: 0 ft. 0 in. (0 meters)

Plant Width-Mature: 0 ft. 0 in. (0 meters)

Hardiness: USDA Zones 5 to 8

Flower Color: rose

Flowering Time: winter-spring

Sun/Light Exposure: full sun

Water Requirements: regular watering during dry weather

Wildlife Associations: bees

Resistant to: deer

Culture Notes

Heath produces the most flowers in full sun. It prefers a location with well-drained or sandy soil and it is best to water regularly during dry weather. Newly planted heath can dry out quickly once planted so it is important to water often and deeply when the plant is young. It can also be helpful to soak the plant in a bucket of water to fully saturate the soil before planting. After the blossoms have faded a light shearing will remove most of the faded flowers and promote dense growth.