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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.

Heuchera Palace Purple Flower

My all time favorite for durability and color is the reliable Heuchera Palace Purple, a cultivar with large deep maple-shaped burgundy foliage that lasts from spring until fall and even into the winter months in zones 4-9. Spikes of creamy-white flowers emerge in late summer that resemble babys breath. If kept in part shade, the color of Heuchera Palace Purple will be deeper and more dramatic but when placed in full sun its color will range from burgundy to possibly an orange-bronze. Palace Purple heuchera prefers a moist yet well drained loamy soil.

Heuchera Plum Pudding

The next variety worth mentioning is Heuchera Plum Pudding. Plum Pudding is also tolerant in zones 4-9 and should be grown in indirect sun to part shade. The color of this heuchera is a little more on the plum side as the name indicates. I find from experience that Plum Pudding is less tolerant of full sun and does best grown in partly shady and moist conditions. Its low mounding appearance and silvery-plum foliage also makes it an excellent addition in the shade garden.

Heuchera Caramel

Heuchera Caramel has become one of my new favorites in the garden and at its second year is climbing highly on my list. Caramel is hardy in zones 4-8 and is more tolerant of sun than its predecessors. Caramel will eventually spread to one to two feet in width and produces light pink flowers in June-July. This cultivar prefers medium-moist rich soil and will grow in full sun from a northern or eastern exposure. When in a southern or western exposure it is best to give this plant some afternoon shade. I have found this perennial to be highly successful in zone 7 and it adds a statement to the garden with its wonderful color.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I plan on testing as many varieties as I possibly can for this perennial is certainly a welcome addition to this designers garden.

As always...Happy Gardening.

(Updated August 17,2012)

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Landscape Design A Copper Olympic Torch for Your Backyard

Thinking about adding a fire pit to your backyard or patio experience? Think about a custom Copper Olympic Torch to adorn your backyard entertainment space.

This beautiful design was filled with black and amber fire glass and sits in an inverted custom copper spun dome with a 60K BTU Crossfire Burner.

You can see how high the flame dances compared to a traditional fire ring system. Our flame shoots high and varies its dimensions compared to a traditional fire ring which emits a small candle like flame.

If you are interested in your own custom Copper Olympic Flame, the contact us at any time and well be happy to help you out. 1-877-556-5255

Monday, March 3, 2014

Landscape Design Ideas for Your Garden

If at all youre planning on redoing your Garden be it in your back yard or front yard, you should definitely put in a lot of thought when it comes to the Design as youre going to be looking at it for years to come. If its possible you should hire a professional Landscape Designer to help you out. But, thats not necessary if you know what you need. There are plenty of different kinds of installations that you could put up in your Garden to make it look attractive and beautiful and all you need to do to find the best is a bit of online research. Tips on Landscape Design: Lets take a look at a few tips based on your Gardens Landscape Design:The elements need to be in proportion One of the most important facts that you need to take care of is elemental equality. You need to make sure that the different Gardening elements such as water, foliage, rocks and earth are all present and in harmony with each other - when we say harmony, we mean that it should have a sort of pleasing effect on ones eyes. Plan for the entire year Usually people dont put in a lot of thought when it comes to choosing plants for their Gardens. However, if you want your Garden to look beautiful all through the year you would need to make sure that its got plants that bloom during different seasons. Decide what you want to do There are plenty of things that you could do in your Garden. You could convert it into a paradise for toddlers or make it a sort of park where you could sit and gaze at the beauty in the evenings when you return from work. Install a water feature You could further elevate the beauty of your Garden by installing a water feature. There are plenty of different options that you could choose from - pools, streams as well as fountains. However, when choosing a water feature you should know that it needs to be maintained and it would cost you to do so. Therefore, make sure that you have the budget to maintain it well before you get it installed.