Kramer’s Red Winter Heath has stunning magenta flowers that bloom from January through April. This easy-care evergreen shrub is a must-have for your garden. Plant it for breathtaking Winter and Spring color!.
I first learned about heaths and heathers from reading books by the Brontë sisters, especially Charlotte Brontë’s Wuthering Heights and Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. When these classic English books came out in 1847, they gave readers a mysterious and magical idea of what heath and heather looked like on the English moors.
Now that I’ve grown Kramer’s Red Winter Heath for a few years—a hardy and brightly colored heath—I am amazed at how well the Brontës and other English authors of the time wrote about these amazing little shrubs.
You can watch a video I made in the springtime further down this guide. It shows the shrubs up close and among the daffodils.
Kramer’s Rote Heather in Summer
Kramer’s Rote Heather (Erica x darleyensis ‘Kramer’s Rote’) is a beautiful evergreen shrub that provides year-round interest in the garden. While most known for its vibrant magenta-red winter blooms Kramer’s Rote also shines during the summer months. Its neat rounded form and attractive foliage make it a lovely backdrop for other plants. Here’s what to expect from this versatile shrub when summer arrives.
Foliage
The needle-like foliage of Kramer’s Rote remains evergreen through summer The leaves emerge a fresh green in spring but deepen to a deeper forest green as summer progresses. The foliage provides a nice contrast of color and texture when combined with plants with larger, broad leaves.
The dense foliage fills out the plant’s natural rounded shape. Pruning is not required but some gardeners choose to lightly trim Kramer’s Rote in early spring before new growth emerges. This helps maintain its compact habit.
Care
Kramer’s Rote is quite easy to care for in summer. It thrives in full sun and well-drained acidic soil. Apply an acidic fertilizer formulated for ericaceous plants, like azaleas and rhododendrons, in early spring.
Established plants are fairly drought tolerant. However, Kramer’s Rote appreciates regular water during hot, dry periods in summer.Aim for about an inch of water per week from rain or irrigation. Mulch around the shrub to help retain moisture.
Kramer’s Rote is not bothered by pests or diseases in summer. Deer and rabbits tend to leave it alone as well. Just keep an eye out for aphids which may appear on the foliage. Simply spraying the plant down with water can help dislodge these occasional pests.
Blooms
While Kramer’s Rote is prized for its winter blooms, it may re-bloom lightly in summer. Small magenta flower clusters sporadically appear at the tips of the branches in late summer. Do not cut off the spent flower spikes after spring blooming, as this will remove the developing flower buds for summer.
The summer flowers are much less prolific than the blankets of vivid blooms seen in winter and early spring. But they provide a nice pop of color among the green foliage in August and September. Deadheading the spent blooms keeps the plant looking tidy.
Companion Plants
Kramer’s Rote partners well with many perennials that shine in summer. Try combining it with asters, coneflowers, daylilies, Russian sage, and ornamental grasses. It also mixes nicely with other small shrubs like heathers, potentilla, and dwarf spirea.
The magenta summer blooms complement pink, purple, yellow and white flowers. For foliage interest, pair Kramer’s Rote with hostas, ferns or variegated plants. It fits nicely along walkways, in rock gardens or as part of a mixed border.
In summer landscapes, Kramer’s Rote provides a nice evergreen structure and backdrop. Its pretty round shape and neat foliage also make it well-suited for container plantings on patios and decks. Group a few together with vibrant annuals like petunias, marigolds or verbena.
With handsome foliage, sporadic blooms and versatile growing habits, Kramer’s Rote remains a lovely addition to the summer garden. This compact, easy-care shrub earns its place by providing year-round beauty and interest.
Kramer’s Red Winter Heath in our backyard garden
When we moved into our new home and made our first garden in the backyard, we put in two small Kramer’s Red Winter Heaths.
I thought it was a Spring bloomer at first because Kramer’s Red Winter Heath is sold in the US in the Spring, while it’s still blooming.
What a surprise it was when, in the winter of the next year, we looked outside and saw bright magenta flowers from across the backyard! It was January!
It was still early to bloom to me, maybe because it was a mild winter at the time.
This happened at the same time as my newfound love of gardening books, which I still have today. I quickly learned that this particular heather is actually a Winter heath and starts blooming in early Winter.
The next year I planted Little Leo’s Leopard’s Bane next to the Kramer’s Red heath:
Leopard’s Bane always blooms in the spring and has such pretty yellow flowers that I don’t understand why it’s not more popular with gardeners.
The bright yellow flowers and the magenta flowers of Kramer’s Red are always a welcome sight in the spring garden. With both of these perennials being completely care-free, it’s an easy way to enjoy Spring color every year.
The below shows our Kramer’s Red shrubs in that same backyard garden bed at the end of May.
If this evergreen shrub doesn’t bloom for a long time, it quickly turns into a great background color for other garden flowers like the dianthus, alliums, and salvia shown here.
Evolution of a garden bed!
During this time we also moved those oversized hydrangeas from the front gardens to the backyard. We love those hydrangeas, but they were crowding the other plants and vice versa.
My goal for this year is to add more summer flower color to this bed. It still looks nice and full without the hydrangeas.
You can read and see more about moving our hydrangeas in my Pia Hydrangea article.
Click on this link to read about how this bed has changed over time: Evolution of a Garden Bed — Front Entrance
Kramer’s Red Heather
FAQ
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