Is your garden a collectors garden with as many different cultivars as possible? Or do you incorporate them in the garden using basic design principles? If the later, what do you plant heuchera and tiarella with that you think is effective bringing out the colors and patterns of these plants?
Personally I am attracted to these plants as part of a native woodland garden so I prefer the subtler colors and airy simple flowers. I also like to look at something besides bare ground in the winter so those cultivars that have a winter presence, like the Villosas, rate high with me. Non native plants I find that are good companions are Hellebores.-
Especially the rose flowered Lenten rose backing Palace Purple.
Fresh green leaves in late winter, early spring ,back the purple leaves
and the rose flowers echo the purple leaves.
I add Montrose tricolor wood phlox(cream, lavendar, and green tiny leaves all year) and purple crocus .
I also like the variegated holly fern with it's center yellow center stripe with LIme Rickey heuchera .
Pixie
How do you display Heuchera and Tiarella?
Pixie,
The hellebore/Palace Purple combo sounds really pretty. Do you have a picture? I just got my first hellebore bloom ever last week so am looking for ideas (not that they need any help to be gorgeous!)
Like you, I'd love to hear more ideas for highlighting heucherae in the low light of the woodland setting. I'm not having too much luck on my own. Japanese painted fern and Geisha's Fan is my one good combo. Each one has all the same pinks, purples, and silvers; but the different forms look lovely together. Here's my picture when I first planted it last fall. I can't wait to see it this year as the plants grow into each other.
Try looking through last summer's 5 Color Echoes threads in the Perennial forum, if you haven't already. There's a nice combo with heuchera and purple alyssum by lincolnitess in Color Echoes IV (8/16 posting.)
Michele
I like to incorporate my Heuchera with my Hostas and other Shade plants. I like the variety of textures.
Kelly
Mickgene,
I liked the way you grouped the heucheras together and backed them wih rocks and ferns. It should be very pretty this year.
I can't show you a picture yet of the hellebore/ palace purple comination yet because it doesn't quite exist yet unless I cut and paste. The hellebore is in the next bed, so it doesn't back the heuchera . What I have showing now is hardy cyclamen,( beautiful green leaves patterned with silver all winter ) palace purple, tricolor woodphlox. then a big empty space. The hardest thing for me to learn is how many evergreen plants I need for a good display in the winter, early spring. I usually spread them out too far, which works fine the other 3 seasons. Thanks for the tip on the Color Echoes thread.
GardenGeek,
Which plants do you find complement each other best? For hostas I like the blue leaved varieties with the palace purple.
Pixie
This message was edited Apr 2, 2006 12:34 AM
I thought this planting of Caramel worked nicely when the Autumn Sunset rose above it started to bloom.
Pixie
W pixie....I concur...the yellow rose sure highlights the golden lights of the heucheras. HM
I use heucheras and tiarelles in combination with other shade loving plants in the garden. This is my tiarella Kimono with silver leaved lamium and ajuga.
Thanks herbmoxie,
The combination was pure serendipity, can't take credit for conciously putting the two together, just the observation. The newer cultivars are so distinct I still have a hard time placing them. You almost have to treat them like an ever blooming flower.
Galanthophile,
Your combination looks like a beautifully woven tapestry. Kimono seems to be one of the hardier cultivars for me.
Pixie
Thanks for sharing your pics. You've all given me some great ideas that I should be able to work in nicely in my garden.
mic,
Love the combo of the Japanese Painted Fern, the Geish's Fan and both of the Tiarella's
Gardengeek, thanks. Now if they would just hurry up and grow! :)
I know that feeling,,,lol