Thursday, August 02, 2012

How's Your Heuchera?

I have many varieties of Heuchera in my garden, some in part shade and some in full sun.

Heuchera Peach Flambe
This is my best heat performer, not a crispy leaf on it!

It has been an extreme test this year on which varieties will survive in the heat.  Heat resistant and drought resistant are two different attributes we need to take into consideration when planting future gardens.

Heuchera Autumn Leaves
This one has done very well, you will notice that the heat produces leaves without color.  They slowly replace these light colored ones with the new deeper colored leaves.

Many plants can be watered well but cannot take the high temperatures and their foliage begins to fry.  Some of the Heucheras I have fall into this category during the current summer season.

Heuchera Miracle
This is a full sun heuchera, lost its leaf colorations in the heat, some black spotted leaves.

Heuchera Plum Pudding
You can see the bleached out leaves with some plum colored ones rejuvenating the plant.

The large leaf Heucheras like Southern Comfort change color to muted shades of gold with brown spots on some of the leaves.

Heuchera Southern Comfort
The bleached out leaves have been a symptom of the heat along with blotches on the leaves, continually trying to regrow the original colorations.

Heuchera Pistache
The leaves have been chewed and the color is not the lime green it should be for this part shade variety.

Clip off the affected leaves and new leaves will regrow.  This has been a daunting task this summer because some of the leaves have turned crispy and are very unattractive.

Heuchera Raspberry Ice
Looks great but again has lost its true raspberry leaf color

Heuchera Villosa Pupurea
An original villosa heuchera (part shade) from which all the new villosa varieties came - It has lost its soft purple/brown colorations and royally chewed this year.

Heuchera Mocha
Wonderful flower stalks, usually brown leaves have turned green

Heuchera Carmel
Carmel is a popular heuchera and is used extensively in landscape design.  It has struggled to keep its wonderful color and has succeeded better than most.

A surprise to me that the least affected varieties in my garden are the Heucherellas!  I have not had to trim but a few leaves, they seem to love the heat without the drastic color change of the heucheras.

Heucherella Golden Zebra

Heucherella Stoplight

Heucherella Sweet Tea

So we know what the heat does to some heucheras, it fades the leaves and crisps some varieties, heucherellas hold up much better.  I guess we have some rethinking to do in regard to one of our favorite new plants!


11 comments:

Beth said...

Hi Eileen, The heuchera you showed look pretty, even if they are not true to color. Indeed the climate has presented new challenges for gardeners this year.
Blessings, Beth

Jenny said...

Now I know my mystery plant, one of them. We have one in our Dutch garden and it is gorgeous, all summer. Ours is the purple variety. Thanks for the info. Yours are beautiful. xo Jenny

Lona said...

Hi Eileen. I have really been surprised at how well my Huechera have been doing in all of this heat and dry weather we have had this summer. Like your the have been champions in the garden for summer.

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Hi Beth,

The heucheras aren't dying but they all kind of look the same color.

Eileen

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Hi Jenny,

Your weather has been a little cooler this summer than ours. I think the heuchera would prefer to be in your garden.

Eileen

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Hi Lona,

Let us know your varieties because I think their is a big difference in some of the new introductions.

Eileen

Jennifer said...

Hi Eileen, What an extensive collection you have of these plants. I am finding that the heucheras that I planted in full sun are not fairing as well as the ones in part shade. I think the sun just makes the drought harder for anything to prosper.

Diana LaMarre said...

Hi Eileen,
I think most of those in your garden are looking quite nice. You have such a variety.

My 'Caramel' looks decent, but I am not very impressed with the others this year.

How often do you divide yours?

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Hi Jennifer,

I am finding that heucheras cannot take both the sun and heat. There are a few that have held up quite well.

Eileen

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Hi Zoey,

The only one I have divided is Mocha. I try to leave them alone if they are doing okay. They are fragile when you go to cut them apart.

Eileen

Myfrenchkitchen said...

I love Heucheras...such a gratifying plane, adding splotches of colour in the garden. I also like the whispiness of their flowers..
Ronelle