As a silverback in the garden center world, and a frequent traveler, I have seen about a billion perennials and heucheras are among my top favorites. The species are North American natives, with small flowers that range from showy (giving rise to one of the common names of “coral bells”), to not-so-showy, which in horticultural jargon we call “interesting.”
Literally hundreds of hybrids have been introduced over the last 20 years, and at least two good books on heucheras have been written. A good website to visit for information and photos is that of one of the primary heuchera breeders, Terra Nova Nurseries, terranovanurseries.com
Heuchera are pretty much all produced through tissue culture, and many are patented; thus, they tend to be fairly expensive (which is one reason that the sale is so exciting). They also have a reputation for being fussy, which means that proper siting is important.
They do best with morning sun, afternoon shade, and good drainage. They are terrific in raised beds and raised planters. They are superb in mixed containers, generally as the “filler” layer in a “spiller, filler, and thriller” combo.
They are used mainly for the terrific range of foliage colors, from nearly black to purple, silver, caramel, golden, peach, and so on. Even green!! Frequently the edges are ruffled. The small flowers may be showy, in red, pink and white, especially when multiple stems are in bloom, giving a very fine textured airy look.
If your idea of gardening is to paint with plants, then heuchera should be a mainstay of your palette. The color combinations, especially in mixed containers, are endless. And if sheltered, they may give you a nice show even in winter.
We are proud to have discovered one of the most popular heucheras here at Behnke Nurseries. Terri Poindexter on our Beltsville garden center staff, noticed an unusual plant in a group of black ‘Obsidian’ heuchera. The plant had pink splotches, as if it had been flecked with pink paint. We submitted the plant to Terra Nova, which patented it, and released it as ‘Midnight Rose,’ consistently one of their most popular plants.
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