October Plant of the Month: Heucheras
Heucheras make a great addition to borders and containers in autumn when many of the summer plants have gone over. Their evergreen foliage in a wide range of colours make them invaluable in the garden.
Whilst this time of year welcomes the beautiful colours of autumn, our planting beds can begin to look a little tired and empty. This is when evergreens come into their own and can really help add structure and colour to our borders. Heucheras (also know as Coral Bells) are just the answer. These hard working perennials provide us with beautiful evergreen foliage in a wide variety of colours and delicate, long-lasting and pollinator-friendly flowers as a bonus in summer. Offering year-round colour and acting as brilliant filler plants, they are easy to grow, trouble free and very low maintenance.
Appearance
- Grown for their compact mounds of striking foliage in a huge range of colours from red, purple, vivid green and even silver, there is a Heuchera to work in any colour scheme.
- In summer they bear attractive, dainty bell-shaped flowers which dance above the foliage.
Right: Heuchera ‘Plum Pudding’
Where to Plant Them
- Most heucheras do best in dappled shade, although some can cope with a little more sun. Avoid deep shade as this is too much for them. Heucheras thrive in well-drained soil. If you have heavy clay, grow your heucheras in pots.
- Heucheras look best at the front of a border planted in groups and create great ground cover.
- They combine easily with perennials such as Primroses, Hellebores or Bergenia’s in spring; Geums, hardy Geraniums and Hosta’s in summer; or late flowering types like Dahlias or Rudbeckia. Some of the taller and more robust cultivars look great with ornamental grasses and taller perennials.
Left: Heuchera ‘Marmalade’
Pests and Diseases
- Vine weevils are the biggest problem for Heucheras. The adults cut notches in the leaf edges, and the grubs eat the plant roots.
- Check your pot-grown Heucheras regularly by gently tugging their stems. If they come away easily, empty the pot and remove any grubs you find. Wash the roots, ensuring all traces of eggs and grubs are gone, and replant them. Adding a thick layer of gravel over the compost, can help prevent vine weevils from laying eggs.
Right: Heuchera ‘Forever Purple’
Planting
- Plant heucheras from May to September, at the same depth they were growing in their pot. Firm well around the root ball and water in.
Left: Heuchera ‘Chocolate Ruffles’
Plant Care
- Keep your heucheras out of direct sun. Water pot-grown heucheras regularly but make sure the water can drain from the pot. Feed them in summer, fortnightly with tomato food.
- Tidy around the foliage and remove old leaves in autumn.
- Rejuvenate the plants by lifting and dividing, using the divisions to propagate new plants.
- Add a thick layer of mulch around the base of the plant every autumn, to protect the roots in winter.
Right: Heuchera ‘Spellbound’
Heuchera Types and Varieties to Consider
- Heuchera ‘Lime Marmalade’ is slightly more tolerant of sun than similar varieties. Leaves are bright lime green, which contrast beautifully with white flowers in summer.
- Heuchera ‘Spellbound’ has incredible, silver-purple leaves, which develop more of a silver sheen when plants are grown in shade. White flowers are borne on tall stems in summer.
- Heuchera ‘Chocolate ruffle’ has chocolate-coloured leaves with a rich burgundy underside. In summer, creamy white flowers appear on tall stems. It is more drought tolerant than other heucheras, making it a great choice for growing in dry shade, such as beneath trees and shrubs.
- Heuchera ‘Forever purple’ has deep vibrant purple leaves with fluted edges. They retain their colour all year round and provide a dramatic backdrop to any border or garden.
- Heuchera ‘Marmalade’ has pink stems and stunning foliage of yellow, pink, brown and bronze making it an excellent attraction in the garden. It produces brown, summer flowers.
- Heuchera ‘Obsidian’ has deep purple, almost black, leaves in a compact form. The red stems provide a pop of colour amongst the dark foliage while cream flowers appear in the summer. They look create against other silver or bright green foliage plants.
Left: Heuchera ‘Lime Marmalade’
From planning a new border to a complete garden remodel, we pride ourselves on transforming ideas into beautiful reality, with minimum disruption. If you’re based in or around the Reading and Newbury area, we’d love to meet and discuss your project in detail – book your free no-obligation garden consultation today.
Image Credits
Heuchera feature image; Heuchera ‘Plum Pudding’; Heuchera ‘Marmalade’; Heuchera ‘Forever Purple’; Heuchera ‘Chocolate Ruffles’; Heuchera ‘Spellbound’; Heuchera Lime Marmalade;