Friday, March 7, 2014
Feature Plant Heuchera Coral Bells A Perennial for all Seasons
Over the years as a gardener and designer I have become fascinated with the beauty and endurance of heuchera in the garden. Known originally as a shade plant, newer cultivars of heuchera have proven to be more and more tolerant of a multitude of conditions. Heuchera have made a significant rise in their appearance in gardens around the world, as newer varieties with dramatic striking foliage are cultivated. Heuchera can be grown in hardiness zones 4-9 in sun to part shade in a variety of soils. Heuchera come in a variety of colors ranging from green to chartreuse to yellow, red-pink and burgundy and serve as an excellent accent piece in the garden border, woodland or cottage garden.
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| Heuchera Palace Purple Flower |
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| Heuchera Plum Pudding |
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| Heuchera Caramel |
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| Heuchera Solar Eclipse |
A new heuchera that I just introduced into my gardens this year is Heuchera Solar Eclipse. Showing a burst of color in a shady spot, Solar Eclipse displays broadly scalloped leaves of red-brown bordered in lime green. Hardy in zones 4-9, Solar Eclipse is a vigorous clump-forming grower that also prefers moist rich but well drained soil in part to full shade.
Another exciting variety of coral bells is Heuchera villosa Citronelle. Citronelle is a hybrid stemming from Caramel making it more durable in high heat and humidity. Citronelle is a medium grower to twelve inches in height with neon yellow lobed foliage and produces white flowers in mid-late summer. It is hardy to zones 4-9 and to -20 degrees Fahrenheit and prefers to be grown in a moist loamy soil with good drainage. Citronelle will tolerate full sun in a northern or eastern exposure. I have found that the leaves can scorch if in too much sun so if planting in a southern or western exposure give Citronelle partial shade. It will perform beautifully and make a bold statement in the landscape with its bright lemon-lime colored foliage.
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| Heuchera villosa Citronelle |
Another exciting variety of coral bells is Heuchera villosa Citronelle. Citronelle is a hybrid stemming from Caramel making it more durable in high heat and humidity. Citronelle is a medium grower to twelve inches in height with neon yellow lobed foliage and produces white flowers in mid-late summer. It is hardy to zones 4-9 and to -20 degrees Fahrenheit and prefers to be grown in a moist loamy soil with good drainage. Citronelle will tolerate full sun in a northern or eastern exposure. I have found that the leaves can scorch if in too much sun so if planting in a southern or western exposure give Citronelle partial shade. It will perform beautifully and make a bold statement in the landscape with its bright lemon-lime colored foliage.
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| Heuchera Palace Purple with Grasses and Norway Spruce |
Heuchera require minimal maintenance. The foliage of heuchera starts to emerge in early spring and lasts throughout the entire summer and fall and even into winter making it a perennial for all seasons. Foliage will remain throughout the winter but plants should be mulched for winter protection. An early spring pruning to remove spent foliage will encourage new growth. Heuchera form evergreen clumps of rounded, scalloped or fringed foliage that grow from 12 to 24 inches in diameter over time. There are approximately 50 varieties to choose from with new cultivars being developed each year. Heuchera also attract butterflies and are deer resistant, meaning that deer do not prefer this perennial.
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| Heuchera Solar Eclipse in Garden with Sedum backdrop |
These are a few of the varieties that I have found to be most hardy in my zone 7 northeastern landscape. If there is a heuchera that you have found to be either reliable or not please do share.
As always...Happy Gardening.
Author: Lee@A Guide To Northeastern Gardening Copyright 2011. All Rights Reserved.
(Updated August 17,2012)
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