Altusried / Allgäu, January 2021

Are Erica really sensitive to cold? The company of heather plants Hiedl has been following this question for years with its Erica line Heidi‘s^® . And whoever breeds and tests in the Allgäu mountains can safely claim to have subjected their varieties to the maximum endurance test.

Helmut Hiedl: “Erica is said to this day that their flowers are very sensitive to cold. We can refute this through our breeding."

Tatsächlich zeigen die neuen Heidi‘s^® eine deutlich verbesserte Kältetoleranz gegenüber gängigen Ericen der alten Generationen. Dabei werden verschiedene Kriterien in den wöchentlichen Bonituren vermerkt. Wie lange behalten die Pflanzen ihre farbigen Blüten bei Minustemperaturen und ab welchen Minusgraden bauen die Pflanzen überhaupt ab?

To answer these questions, Hiedl conducts extensive field trials year after year, in which new seedlings have to prove themselves to the existing range. If a seedling does worse than the comparison variety, it is discarded. It is only bred with cold-tolerant varieties.

The advantages are obvious, especially for consumers. While in the past the Erica were often transferred to the compost after a short flowering, Heidi's® can develop their beauty well into winter without significantly degrading. Only at lower frost temperatures below -5° C for several days do the flowers begin to brown.

Conclusion: The Erica line Heidi‘s^® surpasses many existing, old varieties on the market when it comes to cold tolerance. The persistence of the varieties thus supports customer satisfaction for the entire product group.