Common Name: cassiope
Type: Broadleaf evergreen
Family: Ericaceae
Zone: 4 to 8
Height: 0.50 to 0.75 feet
Spread: 1.00 to 1.50 feet
Bloom Time: April to June
Bloom Description: White
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium to wet
Maintenance: Low
Flower: Showy
Leaf: Evergreen
Tolerate: Shallow-Rocky Soil
Culture
Prefers cool, moist, acidic, well-draining conditions in full sun to part shade.
'Randle Cooke' is hardy from Zones 4-8. Does not tolerate hot, afternoon sun.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Cassiope is a genus of small, evergreen subshrubs native to alpine, montane, and moor regions of the Northern Hemisphere. A member of the Ericaceae family, most have small, nodding, bell-shaped flowers and tiny, scale-like leaves held close to the stem.
The genus Cassiope refers to Cassiopeia, a figure of Greek mythology.
'Randel Cooke' is a hybrid cultivar resulting from a cross between C. lycopodioides and C. fastigata. It reaches 6" high and can spread slowly to fill a 15" area. The white flowers (only 1/3 of an inch in diameter) bloom in spring to early summer, and are held from the upper leaf axils by salmon to copper colored pedicels (flower stems). This cultivar does not require any pruning.
Problems
No pest or disease problems reported.
Uses
Use in an alpine garden, rock garden, or an open, acidic, woodland slope.