I'm not very up on them Amy but maybe a Calluna rather than an Erica? It looks a lovely variety

Thanks Pam I've been googling images and haven't yet come up with anything like it .. hopefully someone will know .. :o)

I've propagated heathers for years but never seen anything remotely like this! It is beautiful!

Although the foliage looks like a heather the flowers are so big are you sure it is a heather! Whatever it is I want one!

:)

I live just outside Norfolk Amy. Which market did you buy it from?

That's interesting Anchorman , all the stall holder could tell me was that it was a Heather , he said he had left the name at home and that was why he was selling them cheap £ 3.99 ( that sounds odd to me if he knows his business ) I bought it from Dereham market , if I can i'm going back next Friday, market day , to see if he has anymore , I love it and wish i'd bought 2 ... I will try to take some cuttings from it , do you think this is the right time to do it ? if you intend dashing over to Dereham next week please leave one for me ... LOL.......

I've asked on another forum and it is an African Fanfare heather. Unfortunately it is not hardy in this country so you'll have to bring it inside.

Oh BTW Pansypotter says she thinks she may have one in her garden she is going to look in the morning to see if it's like it , I'm not sure if she will have the name !

Dereham is a fair hike for me (perhaps 30 miles) I live near Sutton Bridge which is 12 miles west of Kings Lynn.

Pity it's tender. That's why I've never seen it before. I used to grow about 10000 winter flowering heathers a year when I was a full time nurseryman 20 years ago.

You might have missed my earlier message saying what it is Amy. ( African fanfare heather)

Thanks for that Anchorman , I would have left it out thinking it was hardy .. goes to show they don't tell you these things when you buy them , I will go and rename it on my site other people are waiting to know what it's called ..... I was going to use it to make up a winter pot ..:o)

I love that bridge at Sutton Bridge .... 10,000 heathers a year Golly Gosh thats an awful lot .. .. I will try to take some cuttings ... or if he has some more next week I could buy you one and drop it off next time we are passing that way if you aren't in a hurry for one ..........

Thanks for the offer Amy but I don't bother with many tender plants . I have enough on my hands keeping 2000 hardy plants going over winter! :)

The only thing I have indoors are a few bedding pelargoniums which flower 365 days per year and I over winter some hardy fuchsias on a window ledge in an unheated room( Hardy fuchsias often aren't very hardy for the first season after propagation but once they develop a woody stem they're usually OK to leave outdoors all year round).

O.k .. I must admit if I had know it wasn't hardy I would have thought twice about it , I lost to many plants last year !

Yes tender plants are a bit of a nuisance to over winter. Particularly those that are only a bit tender.

Here's a shot of part of my nursery when I was a full time nurseryman 20 years ago. There are quite a few winter flowering heathers in the centre of the shot

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31559373@N00/4206335277/in/set-72157600840587482/

That's lovely, Amy. Pity it's tender, but worth it if you can over-winter it. It'll give you a lot of pleasure in the meantime. :-))

It is beautiful isn't it Barbara ... i'm going to try to over -winter it plus I will try taking cuttings in the hope that I will have some for next year .. :o))

I'd have bought one, as well. :-)) Good luck with the cuttings....

Very interesting set of photos Anchorman - your cuttings root so quickly!

i suspect he "FORGOT" the name accidently on perpous some how amy . typical . anyway i hope your well . take care speak to you soon xx .
ps say hello to tony lol .

I think you may be right Leigh , he knew that as it's coming up to winter we might not buy them if we knew they weren't hardy ..!! . we are well thanks , Hope you are to , we had our flu jabs Wednesday , Tony is now convinced he has ' Man Flu ' LOL.... xx

Manflu is the worst ailment known and you should be ashamed that you doubt poor sick Tony!

;)

LOL ...... I think a good strong whiskey might help ease his suffering ... ;o)

i always get a cold after the flu jab but its not flu lol .
the best cure is to sweat it out of you .
get him out in the garden amy working hard lol xx .

I'll stand behind him with a whip Leigh ...LOL... he's been sawing wood for the woodburner so that should work up a sweat ... :o)) xx

You're a hard woman Amy!

:)

How can you say that when we bought him an electric wood splitter to take the strain, LOL.... .Oh No . i'm to soft for my own good ACM what do you think Leigh ?

I've responded to your private message Amy

i agree amy your to soft . crack that whip lol xx .

Thanks Alan , I have replied .....

You're a big softie yourself Leigh , how's that motor bike ,have you been on any more long trips , will you still be able to come over when the weather is c c c cold- shiver xx

yes ill be able to come over im getting heated grips and some proper trousers and it takes one to know one lol xxx

We will look forward to it , you will be as snug as a bug in a rug with your new gear .. :o)) x

apserlutly amy xx

Did you ever find out what the name of your Heather was Amy? I know it's a long time ago, but I just saw it on your blog!
I looked up heathers on Google Images (my usual search place!) & found a couple that looked similar to yours.
One was called Erica Discolour & the other was called Erica Verticillata.
Maybe you could Google those names yourself & have a look at the pictures - see which one looks as if it could be yours!!
Have you managed to keep it? I see some of the answers you received, talked about it being tender, not for leaving outside in our winters!!
Allbest
Shirl.

Shirl,It was an African Fanfare Heather , I'm sorry to say it didn't last through the winter , we decided not to heat the greenhouse that year the frost caught us out one night most things survived it but not the heather in fact it hadn't looked to healthy previous to that ,shame it was such a pretty plant , we found that most plants survived with a good layer of fleece covering them plus bubble wrap on the inside of the greenhouse some plants we put inside cardboard boxes to .
Thanks for going to all that trouble ,it was very kind of you :o)

Amy ☺

It's a pleasure, no trouble, I really enjoy looking things up.
If ever I want to know anything about anything
I have a look on the internet now!!
Usual find what I want!!
allbest
Shirl
<;-))

the moral of this story is dont always believe people who are selling things to you .