♤ Red buds, IX–XII; dark green foliage; broad, spreading habit; height 26–30cm; spread 46–60cm. Withstands early frosts better than ‘Alexandra‘ and lasts a little longer but generally not quite as showy or as red.
A sport on ‘Marleen’; found first by H Tüber (Gescher, Südlohner Dam, Hamburg, Germany) in 1991, and later another, indistinguishable one was found by Kurt Kramer; introduced at Bundesgartenschau, Dortmund, Germany; submitted for plant breeders’ rights in Germany on 14 September 1992; withdrawn 22 August 1995. Bulletin of The Heather Society 5 (10): 9-10 (1997).
Preliminary designation was “Rote Marleen”. Classified as C. vulgaris var. vulgaris f. diplocalyx.
