The Beautiful Hues of Heuchera
Heuchera, also known as Coral Bells, are excellent shade garden plants with interesting foliage of various colors. Leaves are heart shaped and boldly veined; some feature bold dark, silvery, or chartreuse green foliage. Coral Bells bloom in the late spring or summer; blooms rise up above the foliage in a long slender stalk and feature small blooms. Plant Heuchera an inch or so above surrounding ground to ensure that the crown of the plant is above soil level. They are also semi-evergreen in central Arkansas, making them great plants for containers. You can grow them in planters, then after a season or two, plant them in a shady garden location.
- Shade to Part Sun
- Deer resistant!
- Hummingbirds, bees and other pollinators love this plant
- Great in containers
- Plant in fertile, well-drained soil
- Can be divided every 3 to 5 years, during fall
- Plant size and foliage color is variety specific
Inventory changes all the time, but as of mid-September, 2024, here are some of the varieties we have in stock:
Autumn Bride – This villosa species is one of the most hardy varieties for Arkansas gardens; most likely because it’s native to nearby states like Tennessee. It grows on rocky hillsides, which we have in abundance as well! And by hardy, we mean that it shows good drought tolerance, and doesn’t mind our summer heat and humidity. Foliage can show signs of stress if the plant is allowed to completely dry out, supplemental summer watering can alleviate these symptoms. Deadheading faded bloom stalks can encourage further blooming. As with many of our heucheras, foliage is fairly evergreen in our area, assuming weather aligns with averages. This vigorous grower can be divided in the spring every 3 to 4 years.
Burgundy Blast – A villosa hybrid, this is another hardy variety. Unlike Autumn Bride, which had green leaves, Burgundy Blast has soft burgundy leaves with darker veining, and red leaf undersides. Enjoy bell shaped pink blooms during the summer. And yes, the bloom shape of Coral Bells is where the common name comes from!
Black Forest Cake – Featuring dark chocolate color leaves and deep cherry color blooms, this variety is as yummy as the dessert it’s named after!
Northern Expo Sienna – We love the color variations this one offers! New leaves emerge green then as the season progresses, they transform into burnt orange with yellow edges. This is one of the more compact varieties, featuring bright pink flowers and stems during the spring. Pairs great with darker leaved options like Black Forest Cake.
Berry Timeless – Another villosa hybrid! This is the first variety we have talked about with silvery foliage. It’s also the one known for outstanding flower production. In fact, it produces so many pink flowers, it’s noteworthy if you are cultivating a cutting garden. Light pink flowers age to a darker rosy red color as they age, and the leafless bloom stalks, also known as scapes on heuchera, can be 18-20 inches tall. Similar to Statice, flowers remain on scapes and dry in various shades of pink, which can then be harvested. Plus, this one is a rebloomer… hence the name Timeless!
Northern Exposure Purple – This series of heuchera have been developed and named after their cold hardiness, and can survive down to Zone 3 weather! Northern Exposure Purple is a medium to large growing variety with bright purple new foliage that transition to a silvery color with dark purple veining. Soft pink blooms dance over the purple foliage during summer.
Georgia Peach – Yet another leaf color; peach with silver overlay, shifting to a deeper rosy purple as temperatures cool. Featuring cream color blooms during summer months. Georgia Peach, another villosa species, is known for its heat and drought tolerance.
Caramel Apple – Another variety with unique leaf color! New leaves emerge in a reddish-burgundy color and mature to a caramel color. We love that at almost any time of the growing season, there will be a mix of leaf colors on each plant. Caramel Apple is one of the larger heucheras in the Carnival series. And yes, it’s of villosa parentage as well, so it does well here, even during times of drought and heat.
Spicy Lime – The history on this one is a bit spicey! It’s actually a heucherella, a cross between two native American perennials, heuchera and tiarella. Love the name they came up with! This is the only heucherella we have; and it features striking yellow leaves with deep reddish veins, in the characteristic maple-leaf shape of tiarellas. It also has the overall form of a tiarella, a lower growing mound than a heuchera. Spicy Lime offers stunning, zesty color for shade garden edges and mixed containers.
Palace Purple, Plum Crazy, Plum Pudding, Lava Lamp, and Peach Flambe, along with others, are also on the menu at this very moment, although, as we have mentioned, inventory changes every moment. Give us a call or come by to see what we have in stock right now!