Types and varieties of heuchera with photos and names

Heuchera small-flowered palace Purple castle Heuchera micrantha Palace Purple planting and care photo

Heuchera heuchera is a herbaceous perennial plant of the Saxifraga family, the name is derived from the Latin Heuchera. It is named after the German physician and botanist Johann Heinrich von Heicher. Its roots are from North America. The size of the plant is small, adult bushes of the plant reach 50 cm in height.

Heuchera is a magnificent ornamental plant that is loved by landscape designers because of its brightly colored leaves. The highlight of this exquisite perennial is that during the growing season it can change its color more than once. It is impossible to find among plants a flower more saturated with different shades than heuchera.

Description of Heuchera

Heuchera plant purple midnight rose midnight rose in a flower bed photo

Heuchera is a real find, because its palette will impress even the most demanding gardener, both professional and amateur. It seems that this culture collected all the colors for itself. Starting from silver, yellow, green and ending with black. These are also all shades of red, including purple, burgundy and soft pink. Every year, breeders delight gardeners and designers with new heuchera hybrids. All kinds of patterns, veins, and spots are also characteristic of heuchera. The leaves are leathery, toothed.

There are 3 types of texture:

1. smooth
2. corrugated
3. curly.

Heuchera flowers will delight you until frost with shades of pink, white, red and cream. Small bells are collected in a small panicle, attached to thin tall stems. The seeds are in a small so-called capsule, about the size of a poppy seed.

Heuchera varieties are divided into two categories:

1. Ornamental foliage is a plant with gorgeous leaves, such as American Heuchera.
2. decorative flowering, for example, blood-red heuchera, which is valued in landscape design for its flowers.

Heuchera is a chic decoration for artificial ponds, a beautiful container plant, some varieties are used for cutting. Looks great with hostas and astilbes in mixborders.

Heuchera in combination with other flowers

Shade-loving plants go well with any variety of heuchera. The composition looks especially harmonious:

• heuchera;
• ferns;
• hosts.

The perennial goes well with coniferous and deciduous trees; they protect it from bright sunlight.

Ornamental grasses can be useful neighbors for any type of heuchera. Particularly successful compositions are obtained by combining heuchera, miscanthus and sedge. Herbs, like conifers, give low perennial bushes beneficial partial shade.

When choosing flowerbed neighbors, take into account that the flower prefers light partial shade. Heuchera bushes with violet, burgundy and purple leaves like to be planted next to the dicentra. The dark leaves set off the dicentra flowers in the shape of a broken pink heart.

To obtain a delicate composition, touching blue forget-me-nots are planted in the flowerbed next to the salmon-colored heuchera rosettes. A flower garden with lilies and daylilies, laid out near a house or fence, is framed with multi-colored heuchera species.

Perennial plants for a flower bed in a shady garden:

• fern;
• day-lily;
• Phlox paniculata;
• Heuchera parviflora;
• astilbe;
• hosta

In sunlit areas, you can plant varieties of heuchera with leaves of pink and red shades, next to sedum and sugar lungwort. In mixborders, the perennial is planted next to coleus and balsam. The combination with heucherella is suitable for decorating borders.

Growing heuchera in the garden

Heuchera in landscape design photo in the garden

Heuchera, despite its splendor, is a rather unpretentious flower. Growing it will not be difficult, just as there is nothing complicated in caring for it.

In order for the heuchera to please throughout the entire period of its growth, you need to know the following features:

1. To maintain the aesthetics of the flower bed, it is necessary to remove the flower stalks after the flowers have wilted, maintaining a harmonious appearance of the composition. But this is only if you are not interested in further propagation of the flower using seeds.
2. In decorative flowering heuchera species, the peduncle is cut off immediately after the plant has finished flowering.
3. The lower leaves tend to fall off. In order to maintain the attractiveness of the flower bed, simply transplant the perennial into a deeper hole in order to cover the bald trunk.
4. To avoid drying out, hill up the bush. Sometimes this procedure should be done a couple of times a season.
5. Over time, heuchera leaves darken and thicken, but at the very beginning, that is, in the first months, they are brighter and more transparent.
6. To create a harmonious design, use compositions from plants such as daylilies, ornamental grasses, and primroses.

Heuchera in landscape design

Today they like to plant this crop to decorate flower beds and flower areas. It takes pride of place in landscape design.

Heuchera flower: varieties

Found in compositions:

• Flowers and shrubs,
• In a group with roses, lilies, ferns and irises,
• With tulips, hostas, geraniums and daffodils,
• Helps form rock gardens,
• Decorates borders,
• In containers on verandas or gazebos,
• On the coasts of water bodies.

Additional Information. Growing heuchera is not difficult even for beginners - it thrives in both sun and shade and is frost-resistant.
Reproduction occurs by seeds, cuttings or dividing the bush.

Planting heuchera in spring and autumn in the ground

How to plant heuchera in open ground photo

This is a shade-loving plant , so it is recommended to plant it in the ground in partial shade, without direct sunlight. The best option is the east side or the west side.

If the flower gets the afternoon sun, then it is necessary to maintain high humidity by abundant watering. You can design the flowerbed so that at lunchtime the bush is shaded by a taller plant. There are exceptions - red varieties. They reveal their palette only in a sunny flowerbed.

The video will tell you where and how to plant heuchera:

There should be no problems with the soil. Any with an acidity of 5-6 is suitable. You can also add dolomite flour or ash to the soil, this will deoxidize it. If you remember where heuchera comes from, namely from the mountainous regions of the country, then you can even plant the flower on a rocky area.

But still, give preference to fertile soil, so the heuchera will reward you with lush and luxurious flowering. Pay attention to the drainage, it should be about 3-5 cm. There should be no stagnation of water, so low areas are not suitable for planting. Experts also recommend sprinkling the rhizome with coarse sand or earth with coarse expanded clay, this will protect the heuchera root from rot. There are two methods of reproduction:

• Seed - they are collected from the peduncle, sown directly into the soil, previously loosened, and covered with soil. In order for seedlings to germinate more evenly, it is necessary to mix the seeds with sand. Before sowing, it is recommended to warm or freeze the soil. Plant in a low container, about 5 cm, with holes and cover with film or glass. After the third leaf, dive (distance 4-6 cm). We remove the cover for the flower. This method is only suitable for ordinary green varieties, because the seeds may not convey any varietal characteristics. A perennial blooms, which grew from seeds in the third year.
• Vegetative is the best option. The reason is that this guarantees the preservation of the varietal characteristics of the plant. It is easy to grow seedlings in a greenhouse from cut cuttings.

Plants are planted in holes 7-8 cm deep. The distance should be 20 cm between bushes. Rooting time is a month or a month and a half.

Planting and care

What kind of care do these plants require? What do they need to grow successfully? Heucheras and heucherellas are very flexible plants. They adapt well and are responsive to care. They can grow in both sun and shade, but for most varieties partial shade is preferable, preferably with morning or evening light. These plants with leaves overwinter; under no circumstances should they be cut off for the winter. In late autumn, I cover the most valuable varieties with a piece of non-woven material like “Lutrasil”, so they can easily withstand our difficult winters. In spring, in cloudy weather, I remove the cover. You need to carefully examine the plants for protruding from the ground. Plants with bare stems must be buried or covered with fertile soil.

Heucheras grow quickly and age quickly. This is the only drawback of the culture. But in my opinion, not so irreparable. Old plants need to be rejuvenated every three years by dividing the bush with a deepening to a rosette of leaves. Likewise, if division is not necessary, the entire bush is recommended to be buried down to the rosettes of leaves. I cut off the old lower part of the roots. Plants easily tolerate this procedure. Cut parts of root stems can be used for propagation by root cuttings. I note that heucherellas are more convenient in this regard. They do not become bare below and can grow in one place for up to seven years. Heucheras and heucherellas do not like soaking or drying out of the soil. The soil should always be moderately moist. Watering must be done in the evening, as unsightly burns may appear on the leaves during the daytime. I water my plants once a week, quite generously. I feed them in May with a solution of any complex mineral fertilizer (for example, “Fertika spring-summer”) at a dosage of 30 grams per 10 liters of water. I don’t do any more fertilizing. It is better to underfeed your plants than to overfeed them. And an excess of moisture and applied fertilizers can lead to rotting of the roots, and the plant will begin to wither. In this case, it is necessary to dig it up, remove rotten and diseased areas of the roots and plant the plant in light soil made from a mixture of peat and sand. Then it will get better quickly. The main thing is to do everything on time. I have not observed any diseases or pests on heucheras on my site. All plants are developing well. Although theoretically they can be affected by powdery mildew and black spot. In such cases, it is recommended to spray the plants with appropriate preparations such as “Homa”, “Maxima” according to the instructions on the package. Among the pests, plants can be attacked by slugs and snails. In this case, you need to sprinkle metaldehyde or fluff lime under the plants.

How to care for heuchera

As for care, then, as mentioned above, everything is elementary and simple and no special troubles are required on your part.

• There is no need to introduce fertilizing in the first year, since it is planted in already fertilized soil, and then reduce the recommended dose on the selected package by half and add before and after flowering, that is, twice a year.
• If this is an ornamental flowering crop, then use a universal fertilizer for flowering plants.
• For decorative foliage heuchera, use complex fertilizer. Mineral fertilizers should be introduced in moderation so as not to overfeed the flower, otherwise it will hurt.

Watering is carried out once every two days under normal weather conditions. You also need to not overdo it. You should not overwater the plant often. On hot days it is necessary to water the flower in the morning and evening. Also pay attention to prevent water from getting on the leaves, direct the stream under the flower to avoid burns. Otherwise, you risk getting unpleasant spotting on the gorgeous leaves. After planting, mulch the soil with peat, so you will forget about drying out and the problem of weeds.

Heuchera from seeds at home Growing seedlings

Heuchera growing from seeds at home Photos of seedlings

When to plant heuchera seeds? Seedlings are planted in March or April. It is not difficult to sow heuchera for seedlings; the rules of care do not differ at all from the usual agricultural techniques for growing small-seeded plants:

• We use a light substrate for planting, or you can use ready-made soil mixture for flowers from the store.
• We only use containers with holes in the bottom for good drainage.
• You need to sow carefully so as not to thicken the seedlings. You can place the seeds on a folded piece of paper and help yourself with a toothpick. So you can easily place the seeds at a distance of 2-3 cm from each other.
• Afterwards, the seeds are covered with a thin layer of earth or sand, gently moistened (with a spray bottle), and covered with glass, transparent plastic or polyethylene.
• Ventilate once a day, and after germination the cover is removed.
• Watering is carried out moderately so as not to provoke the development of putrefactive diseases.
• When the third leaf appears, the seedlings are transferred into separate containers for further growing.
• Two weeks before planting in the ground, hardening is carried out, gradually accustoming the plants to fresh air and sun.

Heuchera flower planting and care photo seedlings

To plant in the ground , the seedlings are carefully removed from the cup and placed vertically in the prepared hole, while simultaneously filling the remaining space with soil.
Water abundantly to completely moisten the earthen clod.

Heuchera propagation by division How to replant a bush

Any experienced gardener knows how to divide heuchera. Beginners will benefit from our simple tips.

• Heuchera bushes are divided in spring or autumn once every 3-4 years, thus both rejuvenation of the plant and its reproduction occur. Otherwise, the bush may become bald. But we don't need this.
• Early autumn or late spring, respectively May or September , is the right time for planting.
• Having dug up the bush, you need to divide it into 2-3 parts.

How to divide heucheras photo

• Take a knife and simply cut the roots into approximately equal parts, being careful to keep the soil on the roots so that the seedlings will take root quickly.
• Plant as usual, watering thoroughly.

Reproduction of heuchera by dividing the bush photo

The size of a suitable hole for planting the separated part is 30 cm by 30 cm. The distance between the bushes is left equal to 25 cm. After planting, it is recommended to water the plant and mulch the space around the trunk. The new bush gains strength within a month.

It is recommended to have a special shaded place in order to propagate plants. The soil should be sandy, you can add ash. And after the newly made bush gets stronger, calmly transplant it to a permanent place.

Time to plant heuchera in open ground

In nature, heucheras reproduce by seeds and vegetatively due to the growth of leaf rosettes. In the garden it is better to use the second method.

Unfortunately, seeds collected from garden varieties do not retain the varietal characteristics of the plants, and from them grow plants that are close to wild ones.

It is much easier to get heuchera of the desired variety - using seedlings grown and seeds from a trusted manufacturer or dividing an adult rosette.

Seeds are sown in early spring in containers. In greenhouse conditions, the first shoots appear after 4–6 weeks. When the real leaves open on the sprouts, the plant is transferred to open ground. Taking into account future growth, the rosettes are planted at a distance of 20 cm from each other.

In May or early autumn, large, usually 3-4 year old, heuchera rosettes are planted, which lose their compactness and fall apart. This means that daughter plants have appeared near the main plant, and it’s time to separate them.

Heuchera propagation by cuttings

Heuchera cuttings photo

The second method of propagation is cuttings.

• In June or July, it is necessary to cut the cuttings so that they do not touch the rhizome.
• It is better to treat the cutting area with a root former; the leaves at the bottom are not needed, they can be removed, and after that the finished cuttings can be planted in peat or sand.
• For good growth and rooting it will take 2-4 weeks, with constant soil moisture and ventilation of the greenhouse.

Reproduction

Heuchera reproduces by seeds and vegetatively - by cuttings and dividing the bush.

Heucheras are easy to propagate by seeds , but it must be taken into account that varietal characteristics are not completely preserved with this method. Seeds are purchased at the store or collected from your own plants. They have a limited shelf life, maximum germination lasts for 6 months. The seeds are round, black, and resemble poppy seeds.

Dividing the bush is the easiest and most reliable way to propagate heuchera.

In May or early September, the bush is dug up, long roots and rotten areas are pruned. The heuchera is divided into several parts with a sharp knife. The cuttings are immediately planted, deepening them down to the growing young leaves. New plantings are watered and protected with lutrasil. After 2 weeks, the divisions will strengthen in their new place and shelter will no longer be needed.

By cuttings you can get a larger number of new plants from one bush.

Before or after flowering, shoots 5–8 cm long are cut from the bushes, the lower sections are sprinkled with crushed charcoal or “Kornevin” and planted in a box filled with a damp and loose substrate or sand.

The top of the cuttings is covered with a plastic bag or glass jar. The rooting process will take 3–4 weeks.

As cuttings, you can take rosettes with pieces of the stem and part of the adventitious roots. The sections are treated with Kornevin and the rosettes are planted in a mini-greenhouse for 1–1.5 months. During this time, new roots will grow and the plants can be planted in a permanent place.

Heuchera pests and diseases

Heucheras do not get sick often, and if this happens, the situation is not critical. The main thing is not to overfeed the plant and thoroughly drain the soil, because otherwise the perennial becomes weaker and does not resist disease.

If powdery mildew appears on the leaves or root rot, then dig up the perennial and treat it with a fungicide; it won’t hurt to replant it in another place. And if affected by spotting or rust, spray with a solution of Bordeaux mixture once every two weeks until complete recovery. As for pests, you can use insecticides against snails, caterpillars, and leaf nematodes.

Wintering Heuchera

This crop overwinters easily ; a little preparation is enough for comfort. Heuchera's winter hardiness is excellent, but in harsh winters you should play it safe. Leave the dried leaves untouched; later in the spring, after frosts, they are removed with pruning shears to activate and start the growth of new buds. This will additionally protect the plant from severe frosts. The main shelter should be constructed from oak leaves, spruce branches, hay, pine needles, straw or other similar material.

Types and varieties of heuchera Description and photos

There are quite a lot of varieties of heuchera - about 70 names. Most of them grow in forests and near mountain rivers in the USA and Mexico. The main types of heuchera are called: mountain and forest. Below we will look at the most popular varieties, which are used not only for decorating flower beds or creating a unique landscape design, but also for breeding more and more new varieties of heuchera. Hybrids are created in two directions, the first is lush flowering, the second is the decorative splendor of leaves.

Heuchera blood red Heuchera sanguinea

Heuchera flower blood red cultivation and care in open ground Photos of flowers

This variety belongs to the mountain species. It is characterized by pure green leaves, or with small splashes of silver, cream and white leaves. They are denser in structure than the leaves of other varieties of this perennial. The flowers are rich in color, red or dark pink, 1-1.5 cm in length.

The height of the bush reaches 40 cm in length. The peduncle is unstable and thin. Since in nature Heuchera comes from mountainous and northern places, it is very hardy. That's why flower growers loved her so much. The most comfortable place for blood-red heuchera will be a well-ventilated, shady area with excellent drainage. The most common varieties are Monet, Variegata and Hercules.

Heuchera villosa

Heuchera hairy Heuchera villosa in garden design photo

It has velvety and slightly pubescent leaves, quite large in size. The flowers are small, cream-colored, and bloom in June–August. In nature, it can be found in river valleys of the United States. Varieties differ in foliage color.

Heuchera cylindrica

Heuchera cylindrica in landscape design photo

Also a mountain species, with luxurious leaves and a high peduncle, glandular stems reach up to 90 cm. The flowers during flowering are large, they are white, coral, pink and green. The inflorescences are very dense. The leaves are green, toothed, rounded. The striking sheets feature a silver pattern plus veining in a contrasting color. Popular varieties of heuchera cylindrical: Greenfinch, Hyperion, Green Ivory.

Heuchera small-flowered Heuchera micrantha

Heuchera small-flowered obsidian Heuchera-micrantha 'Obsidian' in garden design photo

Bears the title of the most spectacular species. This is well deserved. The thing is that in nature the color of the leaves is purple, and breeders have added brightness to the already chic look. The leaf shape is maple. Peduncle 60 cm, small flowers of creamy pink color. The plant is unpretentious, frost-resistant, loves slightly acidic soil. The variety Palace Purple belongs to Heuchera small-flowered; in 1999 it was recognized as the best perennial.

Heuchera americana

Heuchera americana Dales Strain in landscape design photo

Known as mountain geranium. In nature, American heuchera grows near the Great Lakes. It is attractive for its leaves, namely its red veins. Below is a purple leaf. The shape of the leaf is rounded, and the ends are beautifully jagged. During the growing season it changes color, the brightest shades are in autumn and spring.

Heuchera hybrida Heuchera hybrida

Heuchera hybrid Caramel Heuchera 'Caramel' Coral Bells photo in the garden

It turned out by crossing blood-red heuchera with American heuchera. The leaves, peduncles and flowers are larger than those of its predecessors. The leaves are green with contrasting veins, and the flowers are white, red or pink. Varieties: Cancan, Beauty Color, Cappuccino, Ruby Vale.

Solitaire plantings

Elegant heucheras look amazing in single plantings. In this case, it is advisable to plant different varieties and correctly combine them according to the color of the leaves and inflorescences.

You can organize a flowerbed with heucheras of contrasting shades, where dark-leaved (burgundy, purple) and rich light (golden, lemon yellow, salmon) plants will be interspersed.

Or create a flower garden of heuchera of the same color, but with foliage of different colors and textures. For example, a flowerbed with a smooth transition of tones looks good: when purple heucheras give way to dark burgundy, then red, scarlet, salmon and pink.

So, as tapeworms, bright heucheras are ideal for borders and ridges; they can be planted along garden paths .

But since these plants are not tall and do not like sunny areas, in open areas next to the heucheras you can plant deciduous and coniferous trees or ornamental grasses (for example, sedge or miscanthus), which will create the necessary partial shade.

Today, the trend is not only high beds with vegetable crops, but also high flower beds in which heucheras of different varieties look impressive.