The Heuchera Blues

Hi Nan, that is exactly what happens here too, they shrink to a mere memory of their former selves. If they even live I consider it a success though. And then there are the self sowers, always green with silver but they turn more purple in the winter. They are not as showy as the fancy ones, but they are soldiers in our garden of deathly drought. I quit buying more of the new ones, like you having spent a small fortune on them only for them to dry up and blow away in the wind.

You too, hmmm? Well, it gives us a reason to investigate other foliage options, so I guess it’s not all bad.
-Nan

How well I recall the beauty of ‘Dale’s Strain’ and all the hoopla over ‘Palace Purple’, which took its place with ‘Stella Di Oro’ daylilies, ‘Autumn Joy’ sedum and Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ as the most overused plants in recent memory. Too bad! I still grow both with pleasure, intermingled with many other heucheras, hellebores, hostas, and ferns in my creekside shade garden. I’ve tried many of the wonderful apricot, chartreuse, and other heucheras in the last few years, and now that you say it, I have to agree: Where are they?!! This year, I too am using one of the chartreuse cultivars as an annual centerpiece in the deck garden. Thanks for highlighting this shortcoming, so we can at least budget accordingly!

I can definitely see investing in one of the newer selections for a special use such as that. If you’ve gotten it to survive this far into the season, maybe it’ll get through the winter as well. Then you’d definitely have to let us know, so I can try it too!
-Nan

Here at TDM only 3 of 5 made it through the winter, and I’ve lost another one this summer–just as you describe it. I hate these things now, and they are so darn pricey. Oh, you’ve riled me up good.

Uh oh- a riled Benjamin. Sorry about that. But see, now you know that many of us are having the same problem, you can turn your attention to other cool foliage plants.
-Nan

I have had pretty good success with the H villosas. They are native to the Southeast. I have a dozen of them in a mass planting, just now coming into bloom…Heuchera villosa x Autumn Bride. Those of you growing in heat and humidity might want to try them out…can’t guarantee their zone above 6, that’s what we used to be.

Thanks for the suggestion, Gail. I understand that H. villosa genes may be the reason ‘Obsidian’ is doing all right here so far. ‘Caramel’ is also from H. villosa, so that gives me hope for being able to grow it as well.
-Nan

I just got the heuchera bug last year and have already managed to kill at least 5 of them. One managed to survive into this year but is now doing it’s slow departing act. I thought it was the heat and humidity but sounds like from all the other folks’ comments that it’s the nature of the beast/plant?? I don’t think I’ll be trying it again. But say, has anyone tried them in pots? Do they do better there?

Oops – sorry it’s taken me a while to catch up on answering comments, Jean. I don’t think anyone has chimed in on the subject of heucheras in pots. I do know that heucheras tend to look fabulous in nursery pots – maybe the combination of good drainage and regular watering and fertilizing is the reason there. I’m guessing that the plants would do equally well in decorative pots with the same care.
-Nan

Here in the Santa Cruz mountains, in California, heucheras grow wild along the road to the mailbox, and they thrive in the garden when the gophers and rabbits don’t get them. I presume our Mediterranean climate and their excellent drainage makes the difference. I love them!

Excellent – another region heard from, and with more positive news. Sounds like you have the right ones for your climate. Thanks for letting us know, Nancy!
-Nan

I have had some trouble with those heucheras too Nan. I still have Palace Purple. It does the best in my garden. Never lets me down. I tried at least three times to get Lime Rickey to grow here. I think I told you about tossing it onto the compost pile just to find it living early this spring. Ha…that just goes to show you never know what will happen in the garden. Excuse me while I go check the compost.

Yep: I too find the compost pile can make a great rehab area! Good to hear that your ‘Palace Purple’ is still doing well. I used to be a bit of a snob about “common” perennials like old ‘Palace Purple’, but now I find that I appreciate them more and more. Generally, they’re common because they perform dependably, adapt to a wide range of conditions, and don’t need a lot of fussing: all valuable features in my world!
-Nan

Thanks for the opportunity to bash Heucheras! But seriously, it may be another issue in addition to summer heat and soil texture. I’m pretty sure that those derived from H. sanguinea don’t like acidic soil. Of the fancy ones, I’ve found ‘Plum Pudding’ to be tougher than most and the color is very good, a real purple without any wine-brown-burgundy stuff. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…but real purple is more unusual.

I should also let you know that 3 ‘Obsidian’ plants survived a Chicago winter last year in sticky clay soil at my sister’s house, so that was a lucky purchase.

The H. americana and H. villosa types self-sow freely in well-drained coarse soil for me, in places that tend to stay moist. It’s so easy and fun to grow ‘Dale’s Strain’ from seed. You can make nice plants in one season, if you start them early indoors, under lights preferably. There is much leaf-color variation from plant to plant, so you can bestow your own cute names on them. The flower spikes in May/June provide textural interest, which means they are pretty lame from a decorative point of view. But it’s all about the leaves.

You can also grow ‘Palace Purple’ easily from seed. There will be some color variation from plant to plant, so just keep the plants you like.

My very favorite Heuchera is mentioned above, H. villosa ‘Autumn Bride’, which is probably the same as H. villosa var. macrorhiza that I originally bought. The fuzzy leaves are big, gorgeous and apple-green, with no markings. The small white flowers are borne on wide, tall spikes, and as the name says, start in August to provide a nice late show for a couple months.

Certainly at home in a shady perennial border, this plant is invaluable for giving some structure and geometry to woodland gardens, especially at a time of year when many other woodland plants look bedraggled, at best. Thanks, Nan. As usual, the color combo in your photo is delicious.

Hey, Thomas, thanks ever so much for sharing your thoughts. The tip about H. sanguinea disliking acid soil explains a lot, because the soil everywhere I’ve gardened has definitely been on the acidic side.

And uh, now that I think of it, I do have H. villosa ‘Autumn Bride’, and it performs very well for me. But see, it’s just green (foliage-wise), so I mostly overlook it. Nice in flower, though.
-Nan