Monday, May 10, 2010

Heucheras - Not Like They Used To Be!

I really do like Heucheras, mostly from the Villosa strain.  I did grow them many years ago and was never impressed by their leaves or flower display.  However, with the cross breeding they have done in the past few years, they are spectacular!

I began with Heuchera Villosa Purpurea, a large dark Heuchera with white bridal type flowers.  It was wonderful, but I kept losing them after the winter.  After several replacements, I began putting in some of the more recent hybrids like, Brownie and Mocha.  They blend well with Purpurea but are not as large and certainly do not have the same presence.

I have also added Raspberry Ice, Georgia Peach (gorgeous already) and Southern Comfort.  I have had Plum Pudding for several years but it hasn't done much.  They look especially beautiful with ferns, Japanese Painted Fern, and ground covers, mine is Lirope Spicata.

Heucheras do well in containers withstanding the cool temperatures of the spring and fall and even the heat of summer.  Their leaf color is as beautiful rivaling most flowers.  The newer varieties will grow beautifully in the shade or sun.

14 comments:

Dave@TheHomeGarden said...

Heucheras are a definite favorite here! I'm a big fan of 'Silver Scrolls' because of the variegation.

Lona said...

Very pretty Eileen. They have so many great colors of them anymore. They can really brighten up a shady bed.

Lily said...

I like 'Mocha' and 'Southern Comfort'. Love the dark color. Thanks for sharing your heuchera collection.

Becca's Dirt said...

Beautiful foliage on the these. The colors are so rich too. I can see why they are in your gardens and I agree they would look beautiful with the flowers.

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Dave,

I actually looked for Silver Scrolls today at three garden centers- could not find it. I will go online to see if it is available.


Eileen

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Lily,

The Southern Comfort is striking!Mocha is a little deeper, but when it flowers it is lovely with the white above the chocolate color.

Eileen

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Lona,

What is great about the new varieties is that they can go in sun or shade and not burn up.

Eileen

allanbecker-gardenguru said...

I will be experimenting with Heuchera this season as flowerbed trimming, pretending they are annuals. The hardest part is finding shades that contrast well with each other. I think the Carmel and Citronelle combination you created is very effective.

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Allan, the darker chocolate ones also look good with the lime greens. I have not had a lot of luck transferring the potted ones to the garden in late fall. They probably do not have enough time to root.

Even though the Villosa Purpurea is not real flashy, it's flowers are beautiful and last a very long time.

Eileen

beckie said...

Eileen, my friend Rose and I laugh at the names for the new ones saying you could gain weight just by saying their names. :) I do like some of the new ones, the darker ones are my favorites though. I'm still deciding about the lighter colores ones.

Yours are gorgeous and look so healthy.

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Beckie, right now the Georgia Peach is my favorite for leaf color, the Purpurea for flowering. The Southern Comfort is a beautiful but the leaves are a little floppy. A fellow blogger mentioned Silver Scrolls can't find it yet in my local nurseries.

Eileen

joey said...

I have several also, Eileen ... love and want them all!

Lona said...

Eileen. I do not have Silver Scrolls Heuchera but I did find it at http://provenancegarden.com/heuchera-silver-scrolls.html

Look pretty reasonably priced also.

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Thanks Lona, I will check it out.

Eileen