Heuchera

I never set out to be a collector of Heuchera... but somehow they are always jumping into my shopping cart unexpectedly! I guess it's no surprise really, since I am such a fan of foliage plants. The one concern about them that I have is that they are relatively short-lived, and can suddenly die out over the winter on occasion. While they last, they are relatively easy to please and quite drought-tolerant. Some varieties seem to be tougher than others.

• 'Autumn Leaves' - a new addition to my garden, supposedly with vividly colored coral-pink leaves
• ‘Caramel’ - very well-known recent cultivar. Lovely caramel colored leaves with plum-ish pink undertones. I keep moving mine around - the somewhat odd color is hard to place in the garden, but in the right spot it can be fabulous.

 

Heuchera 'Caramel'

• 'Dale's Strain'- in spring, this one starts out silver-green with reddish-brown filigree markings in the center. The foliage ages over summer to medium green with attractive silver veining. Over winter it is evergreen and has a red-coral glow. Has been a tough survivor and excellent grower in my garden - overall one of my favorite heucheras! Subtly fantastic. The flowers on are small, pink, and not terribly remarkable, but this is well worth growing for its foliage.

Heuchera 'Dale's Strain' - late spring color

Heuchera 'Dale's Strain' - late summer color

• ‘Firefly’ - the foliage on this one is nothing special (plain, dark green), but the abundant coral-red blooms are striking.

Heuchera 'Firefly' flowers

• 'Melting Fire' - bright reddish leaves in spring age to a darker maroon-purple. White flowers. This one seems to be wimpier compared to my other heuchera, which is sad because the color is fabulous.

Heuchera 'Melting Fire'

• 'Miracle' - lime green in summer, reddish-bronze with green edges in spring and fall. The "miracle" is that this is a tough, heat and humidity-tolerant heuchera villosa cultivar with pink flowers, rather than the usual white. A very pretty heuchera.

Heuchera 'Miracle' - summer color

Heuchera 'Miracle' - emerging foliage in spring

• 'Palace Purple' - a widely available cultivar, still in my opinion one of the nicest of the darker varieties. The color is purple maroon with reddish-brown hints, which complements pink-flowered companions so nicely. 
• 'Pinot Gris' - I love the subtle color of this one. It's hard to describe, but something like a tawny olive peach. It blends really naturally with a variety of greens in the garden.

 

Heuchera 'Pinot Gris' - new foliage emerging in spring

 

Heuchera 'Pinot Gris' - summer color

• 'Plum Royale' - pinkish plum purple. This one is a neon-bright, odd color which I have trouble placing with other plants, and also a wimpy grower so far.
• ‘Prince' - one of my favorites. Very dark purple-green with olive overtones, highly ruffled foliage, and bright reddish-plum undersides. Flowers are creamy white and very tall. A dashing heuchera! This one grows very large - about 2 feet wide and quite bushy.

 

Heuchera 'Prince'

• 'Sashay'- green with pinkish-purple undersides, large ruffled leaves. Pretty but has a somewhat leggy, open habit I'm not sure I'm crazy about.

Heuchera 'Sashay'

• ‘Snow Angel’ - if pressed to choose a favorite it may have to be this one. Most heucheras are either foliage or flowers, but on this one both leaves and blooms are excellent. Foliage is green with cheery cream mottling, blending perfectly with the abundant pink flowers. A very harmonious heuchera which really brightens up a shady corner.

Heuchera 'Snow Angel'

 

• x Heucherella ‘Rosalie’ - a cross between Heuchera and Tiarella with fluffy pink flowers. Most of these died on me - I have only one remaining, but it is a sweet little thing.

x heucherella 'Rosalie'