The Heuchera Garden and Some Evaluations

Heuchera x villosa 'Caramel'.

When I first moved here in 2001 I was eager to get a garden going. This was the first time I could truly 'put down roots'. I wanted plants, and I wanted lots of plants and right away. On one well timed trip to Home Depot, I was fortunate to find 'Palace Purple' heucheras in a six pack for about $2. What a steal! I have never found the heucheras sold this way again, but that is okay. I now know how to divide the ones I have, and they have faithfully multiplied from year to year. In fact, they have multiplied and performed so well in my garden that I started a bit of a collection of heucheras. Hey, it can be worse, at least heucheras are small:)

Heuchera Garden

In the fall of 2007 I consolidated and labeled all of my heucheras in my collection. The heucheras were planted in a part of the 'Woodland Garden' and 'Greenhouse Garden'. They have all done well and I do like being able to see all the varieties in one spot. Consolidating these heucheras allowed me to really evaluate each variety of heuchera as well. After nearly two years of evaluating this garden and the plants, I have come to some conclusions about the different varieties of heucheras growing in my garden. Keep in mind these conclusions are based on how these heucheras perform in my Zone 6/7 garden in upper Middle Tennessee. These heucheras may perform differently for you if you are in a different zone. These are only my personal recommendations; like all things on this blog.

First of all every single heuchera is growing in the exact same condition as their neighbors. The same amount of sun, shade, and moisture. No one heuchera has an advantage over the others. Most heucheras are bred for foliage and the varieties are astounding. There are orange, chartreuse, purple, silver, peach, green, variegated, red, and all shades in between of heucheras on the market. Some varieties have performed better than others in my garden, and I'd like to share some observations I have found. Heucheras are bred primarily for foliage, but there is an awful lot to be said for the blooms. Some of the plainest green varieties have the prettiest blooms and I will share with you some wonderful cultivars here based on certain characteristics of each. Remember, these are simply my observations and results may be different for you.

Mocha Mint (left) and Montrose Ruby (right)

My first observation is going to be a general one about the orangy colored heucheras. These include 'Peach Melba', 'Cream Brulee', and 'Marmalade'. I have at one time or another grown all three of these varieties. All three perished during the winter. I have learned not to buy the orangey colored heucheras anymore but did give one more cultivar a try last fall. I purchased a few mark down Heuchera villosa 'Caramel' heucheras. One is pictured at the top of this post. This orangey heuchera has performed admirably this winter. The picture was taken on March 20 and just look how it shines. I can't vouch for its heat worthiness as yet, but for sure if you like the orangey colored heucheras, try 'Caramel' or 'Montrose Ruby'. I cannot guess as to the reason for the other orange colored heucheras' demise, but it surely would have to do with the hardiness of these cultivars.

Chocolate Ruffles (Left) and Palace Purple (Right)

Palace Purple is the classic heuchera. It is the one most folks are familiar with and has been around a long time. It was my very first cultivar of heucheras and while I like it, I think there are much better varieties out there. Palace Purple is an easy cultivar to divide each fall. Simply lift the whole plant and separate the small offsets. Throw away the woody part of the mother plant. Mine have multiplied quite well as you can see from the picture above (Palace Purple is not ruffled like the Chocolate Ruffles and is on the right of the picture). Palace Purple will almost always peter out in the summer. It really looks ratty and stays looking ratty until it is divided in the fall, but it is a good cultivar for beginners since it is readily available.

Mocha Mint

My next recommendation is going to be based on foliage and veining. Many folks like variegation in foliage for the interest it adds to the plant. You can't go wrong with 'Mocha Mint'. It is pictured above. It is one of my favorites for veining and overall color.

'Chocolate Ruffles'

My next recommendation is going to be for winter color, interest, and hardiness. It is 'Chocolate Ruffles'. This heuchera says come look at me! No ifs, ands, or buts, it is a showoff this time of year. The coloring is similar to 'Palace Purple', but just look at the ruffles! The ruffling on the leaves is particularly pronounced. It is one of the first heucheras to begin growing anew in late winter.

Snow Angel

Snow Angel Foliage

'Snow Angel' is another easy to grow heuchera that looks lovely all year. It is a bit different from the brightly colored heucheras in that it is a green foliaged heuchera, with a bit of dusting on the leaves. It's bloom is also outstanding. If you did not see the blooms and weren't sure what this plant is in a garden, you might not think it is a heuchera. I like 'Snow Angel' very much.

Key Lime Pie

'Key Lime Pie' is a good all around chartreuse cultivar of heucheras. It sure helps that it is a Proven Winner cultivar too. I love the Proven Winner plants and do try to buy them whenever I can. Another chartreuse cultivar is 'Citronelle'. Both 'Citronelle' and 'Caramel' are Heuchera x villosa hybrids and are very hardy in the garden. They are also very vigorous-a bonus! 'Citronelle' is a bit more yellow and larger than the 'Key Lime Pie'.





I also grow other cultivars but I will not bore you with their pictures right now, maybe at a later date. The cultivars I grow (list format) are: Montrose Ruby, Amethyst Mist, Canyon Duet, Cascade Dawn, Key Lime Pie, Firefly, Fireworks, Mocha Mint, Palace Purple, Regina, Snow Angel, Cathedral Bells, Vanilla Spice, and an unnamed (I assume the species type) heuchera. I leave you with the regular old unnamed heuchera pictured above. It is the first to show buds and will be in bloom soon. Nothing fancy about the foliage but it sure has a sweet red bloom.

What is my favorite heuchera? I don't have any particular one in mind, I like them all and all have special qualities about them. The entire genus of heucharas is easy to grow, long lived, and great evergreen plants in any shade or part shade garden. You can't have too many really-that's why I have a bit of a collection.

If you have experience with heucheras, which one is your favorite and do you have any special tricks to highlight heucheras....

in the garden....

After nearly two years of blogging and over 600 posts, we now have a 'spammer' I guess I would call it. The spammer has a great concern with zombies and for some reason has chosen to make comments concerning his/her fascination with zombies on this blog-anonymously of course. Which is most amusing. This is not acceptable so I have changed the settings. I am sorry to all my good blogging friends who may be affected by this change.

If anyone else has had problems with these kinds of strange comments or knows who this person is, please email me offline.