Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Holy Heucheras!


Heucheras are such a neat bunch of plants. I have a whole collection because it seems they are just a collectible type of plant-if there is such a thing. I know there is because many gardeners collect special groups of plants. Some like daylillies (I do too), some like hostas (who doesn't), some collect evergreen trees (like Paul James-The Gardener Guy), some collect roses (Yuck!) and so on. I like heucheras.

If you are going to collect plants, the heucheras are the best because they are small. Which means of course, I can fit more of them into my garden! Heucheras are also evergreen and bloom in the spring. Now is the time of year they are begining to really wake up in the garden. What more can a gardener ask for?


How about awesome color and a wide variety of foliage and blooms? Now let's add in some really cool names like Key Lime Pie (the first picture). Can you guess why it is called that? Hint: It has everything to do with the color. There is also a 'Snow Angel' (the second picture). Now let's add in some 'Mocha Mint' (the last picture).



These are but a few of the varieties out there in the market; there is a flavor for every gardener's palate. I have mine combined in a 'Heuchera Garden'. Heucheras are also known as Coral Bells; which may be easier to remember. My heuchera garden is under a cedar tree in a shady area on the north side of my backyard. It is in an area visible from the house and deck and I just love this little garden.

Heucheras are not fussy about maintenance or water. Too much sun can burn the foliage and even when in shade heucheras can start to look pretty fried by summer's end here in the south. Regardless, as soon as rains come and the shorter, cooler days of fall show up, the heucheras rebound quickly. The one thing I have found to make sure they stay vigorous is they need dividing every other year or so. You just pull the plant and separate the baby plants from the older woody material and replant. Make sure they are well established before the winter and I like to divide mine in the fall, though you can do it in the spring as well.

in the garden....wishing for maybe not SO many collections, but enjoying them nonetheless.

13 comments:

  1. Good Morning Tina, I have added some heucheras to my hosta garden for some added color. I have on order the caramel, which is an apricot or bright gold color. I do agree that it is one of the flowers you want to collect one of each variety! A few years ago I got carried away with hosta. Finally had to say enough!

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  2. Send me some hosta Nina. The Voles ate all of mine! I was planting some Lily of the Valley in the hosta bed and did not find one bulb of hosta and I planted 10 Lily of the Valley! arggg, darn pesky things....

    Tina, Is that the plant you gave me that is in a pot? I have yet to get it into the ground but want to by this weekend. Will they work behind Lily of the Valley and in front of Hosta? Or should they be behind the hosta... In other words, which will grow taller the Coral Bells or the Hosta?

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  3. I too have added heucheras to my hosta bed if you can call along the east side of my house a bed. I have the caramel & am anxious to see what it will do this yr. I like the different colors. Hostas can be different heights as one of mine is miniature--only gets about 6" high. I like the hostas as they also have different color of leaves & are shaped different. I like the larger one with puckered leaves. One of my heucheras has red stems & is vase shaped---leaves also have red on bottom.

    It's a little warmer here today. I went out early yesterday & there was ice on my windshield. Therefore it took me longer to get the kiddies & get them to school.
    Poor little guys, their puppy was killed yesterday. They are heartbroken. I can't believe it either. Really hurts.

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  4. Sorry Lola,
    That is a terrible thing esp when your young, hardly seems fair.

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  5. We have about 4 of the 'Palace Purple' Huechera on one side of our house. They were a bargain at about $.50 a piece! They've done pretty well, much better than the hostas I put over there.

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  6. nina, i bet your hosta garden is beautiful! heucheras make great companions.

    yes skeeter, that is what i gave you. the variety mocha mint i think. it does great in the shade and in the fall you can divide to make some more. the hostas will far overpower the heucheras so put them in front.

    lola, another really smart gardener to grow the coral bells with hostas. so sorry about the kiddos pup! i really know the feeling.

    hi dawn with peaches,

    dave, in the fall you can divide those bargain palace purples and then you will have about 15 instead of four! you don't divide them in the traditional way, kind of break off the offshoots. they are great to grow.

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  7. nina, i bet your hosta garden is beautiful! heucheras make great companions.

    yes skeeter, that is what i gave you. the variety mocha mint i think. it does great in the shade and in the fall you can divide to make some more. the hostas will far overpower the heucheras so put them in front.

    lola, another really smart gardener to grow the coral bells with hostas. so sorry about the kiddos pup! i really know the feeling.

    hi dawn with peaches,

    dave, in the fall you can divide those bargain palace purples and then you will have about 15 instead of four! you don't divide them in the traditional way, kind of break off the offshoots. they are great to grow.

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  8. Skeeter, My daughter is to help me expand my hosta and fern bed. When we get into it I will be happy to send you some hosta, if you were serious! They would be the regular everyday ones.(green with white on edge of leaf). My unusual ones haven't multiplied enough to divide as yet. Maybe next fall.

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  9. Nina, I was joking but thanks so much for offering. I will get some new ones this year. I am thinking of a few large ones to go behind the Coral Bell for a different look then just the plain hosta in years past....

    Was another nice warm day here! I was inside cleaning house most of the day. Major cleaning like under the fridge and washer and dryer. My spring cleaning! I did go out to clean up the seed hulls from under the bird feeders. Yucky job. Have not done that job in a while so I had a pile of seed. It was so thick that a bunch of uneaten seeds were sprouting from beneath! I had some entertainment while in the yard. Our hawk pair was in the sky screaming their call establishing their territory to others and then the Blue Jays starting to scream at them. Then the parrots from next door joined in so needles to say, it was mighty noisy in the yard!

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  10. Good post about heucheras. There are so many, and new ones all the time, each prettier than the next. They have cross pollinated here and they pop up in odd places, usually reverting to the species, which is fine by me.
    BTW, I heard from the gardening welder guy, Christopher Mello and have posted an update about him today.

    Frances at Faire Garden

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  11. good morning all,
    another cold night here in tennessee. the pups slept through the night which is so great. baby is still a little off but we are watching her. the other two are fine and bruiser is gaining lots of weight.

    good morning frances, i haven't had any heucheras pop up in my garden but i would sure love it! and like you it is ok if they revert to the species. i will head your way to check out the update on the welder guy.

    i really enjoyed your post about your hometown. you definitely made me want to visit.

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  12. Hmm...19 for $2.00, that comes to $.11 per heuchera. Not a bad deal!

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  13. plants are like that dave, the more the merrier! the cheaper the better.

    palace purple are what i started out with and they are great, got me hooked. do you know i found them at lowes in six packs for six pack prices?!! that was back in 2001 or 2002. i have never seen them in six pack since.

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