I read somewhere that not all of the heuchera's do well in shade.
Which one's do you use for shade?
Which one's for shade?
All of mine are in shade. They get some sunlight in the afternoon, but through the trees. They do not like deep shade, but definately not full sun. My aunt has purple palace in full sun, it grows well, but the leaves always look burnt and crispy half way through the summer, and the color looks dark green with purple. Where my leaves look purple with a very little touch of green.
My rule of thumb is if the leaves are dark the more sun protection you give them the darker (truer colors) the leaves. The same as in dark colored flowers such as daylilies, keep them protected from sun discoloration.
Then the same is true for light leaves such as chartuse, just like fair skinned people, these plants need "sun screen" from the direct sun or they will fry. I have found the the green leave varities need the most protection, and are slower growers.
Makes perfect sense. That's the same thing I do with my hostas.
I've never had one of these before, is there any thing I need to be aware of before I get any of them?
Be aware that just like other plants you can get addicted to them!!! I planted three last spring, then 7 more last fall and have some ordered already for this year! I like them because they are so carefree.
Doug
yes I realize that now! lol
Just like hostas, once you get one, you gotta get em all! That's the fun part!
This was one of the first plant I "collected" I love them, they do have a personality of there own. If you see they are unhappy, move them! I do keep mine mulched with mushroom manure or compost. This is the only fertilizer they receive. I also like these plants because they do not seem to grow to fast. Give them space, but they take a few years before they need separated. I guess that is why I like them...very carefree.
wow, they do sound carefree. I think I will start out with one or two and see how it works out.
Just found this thread! Watch out, they ARE addicting :) If you haven't already purchased any, I'd suggest looking for some of the newer introductions in the past few years of Heuchera villosa. http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/532/ We've had much better luck with them in the gardens because they're more tolerant of the heat and humidity of the South. After a long winter and a quick survey of the gardens, I'm really impressed with Citronelle. It was gorgeous last summer and still looks good in March! I planted them in several locations and have found they do much better with a little more sun than most - one area gets sun until late morning, another late afternoon sun and they seem to do well in either spot but NO mid day sun because the foliage will burn. Good luck and let us know which ones you choose!
You are feeding my addiction!
LOL, it's almost as bad as Hostas! Unfortunately, after all the reports of the Heucheras being deer resistant, I'm finding lots of damage from them over the winter :( Possibly rabbits, hard to tell at this point, but after the rains this weekend I should be able to identify the culprit once I see some tracks! Armed and ready with Deer Off, but not sure if it works for rabbits?
One can only hope that it will work on rabbits too. I have never heard of 'bunny-off', have you? ☺
I saw a couple at lowe's yesterday for like 12 bucks.
They looked ok, but I didn't get any. They had a carmel looking one and coral bells I think.
I am going to the Spring Fling here in Memphis in 2 weeks. I have been told they will have TONS of heuc's. Perhaps I can pick up some then.
LOL "bunny off", no can't say I have!
If you find 'Caramel' at the Spring Fling - grab it! Another vigorous beauty :)
well I found this page today & wanted to pass out. Dh is gonna die! lol
look at the colors & variety!!! ahhhhh!!! they have good feedback on the Garden Watchdog so I will probably order some from him.
http://www.pbase.com/rickscustomnursery/heuchera
Kristy -
These to die for! Some I have - the rest I want. I'm already looking forward to this years Heuchera Hoedown. You'll have to do that with us this year. I got some really nice plants in the trade and I met some very nice people while we were trading.
Kristy, I think that is rcn48's company!!! Maybe you can negotiate a DG discount!!!
Doug
LOL, Doug, I think we could probably work "something" out but we'll have to talk about it elsewhere, no "shop talk" allowed (AUP) :)
Did a little spring clean up yesterday in the gardens - looks like I'm going to be busy replacing a few :( Tough winter for everything and some of them have heaved right up out of the ground! Pay back for me not mulching - after several mild winters I wasn't prepared for a "normal" winter!
Debbie
I'm still trying to warm up my freezing hands after my morning walk with the dog, so thought I'd show you the pictures I took of 'Citronelle' yesterday. First though, this is the picture I took around the end of September. This is the area where they get morning sun and totally in shade during the afternoon.
And this is what they look like now - there's a little burn on the foliage, but overall considering the really tough winter they've been through and what the other Heucheras look like, I'm impressed with them!
And to give you an idea of what they look like in almost total shade - their foliage is more chartreuse and not as bright but they're still hanging in there! They're under a high canopy of a Willow tree so I guess I'd consider it "bright" shade but they basically aren't exposed to the sun at all.
ahhhhhh, so good ol Doug let the cat out the bag! lol lol (thanks for the tip)
nah, just kiddin ya'll.
I need to let my trees leaf out some at this point before I get to crazy.
They are being really slow right now for some reason.
Heck, the big oaks are still loosing leaves.
I don't know what the deal is, but I'm ready for my shade back.
The hostas that are there now and patiently waiting for the shade as well.
The plan is to get the bigger hostas in first and plant the heuchara's in between & all around - more as accent plants and give the hostas a pop with those colors.
Anyone know what the biggest heuchara's are?
I emailed the link above to my MIL last night and she emailed me back saying she was going to kill me. lol lol She loves heuchara's too but only has like 1 or 2 she picked up at HD or Lowe's.
Kristy
Kristy - sounds like you will get your MIL addicted to the heuchs like the rest of us! LOL!
Carolyn - I know. lol
The same thing happened with the clems.
She saw one's I bought and she started flipping out getting online to look at them too. lol It's all good. We're like best friends & share plants all the time. I got her an Ernest Markham clem b/c her name is Ernestine Marcum. How funny is that!!
Last year we used my big Jeep & pulled out a bunch on laurel bushes and she was so excited cause she was putting hostas there.
I look at it as a great thing - free divisions! lol lol