Calluna vulgaris 'Firefly'

Striking anywhere, anytime!: salmon-to-terracotta foliage turns brick-red in winter (to brighten the grayest skies); mauve flowers cover its "upright compact 18-20" form Aug-Sept; winner of Britain's AGM.

'Firefly' is a very pretty name, but this heather is really more flamboyant — a flaming torch of brick-red-orange upright spiking foliage throughout the winter, and bright, light green foliage in spring. It's suitable for the most modern garden or the most "traditional." Use it as a colorful punctuation, a geometric planting, or a dramatic drift. The spiky racemes are purple-pink in August and September, so all-in-all you get three spike colors from foliage and flower! This is not a "roundy-moundy," but a distinct and exciting form. For heathers to remain looking good they need to be sheared to the bottom of the flowering spike once a year when the flowers fade. Also make sure they reside in well-draining soil if at all possible, hold back on fertilizer, and don't permit them to completely dry out. That's the trick. 18" tall and wide. Evergreen.

Renowned for entertaining the richest, most vibrant brick-red foliage, 'Firefly' never fails to snap us out of a gray, winter-day funk. Splendid warm shades ranging from salmon to terracotta imbue the foliage the rest of the year, while deep mauve flowers festoon its upright, compact frame in late summer. Awarded Britain's coveted AGM award, this vividly colored heather merits a choice niche in your garden.

Golden-orange foliage. Mauve flowers.

Selected for its incredible foliage creating year round interest. Terracotta in summer and brick red in winter, always with a bit of green to light green. The summer flowers are a lovely deep mauve.

Flowers are deep purplish-pink in August to September, and contrast nicely with the upright pale yellow summer foliage that turns bright red in winter.