Year-round colour from Heuchera, Heucherella and Tiarella
Gardening beginners – if you hate weeds and want colour all year round, go for ground cover Heuchera and their relatives. These little plants will put up with a fair amount of shade, provide excellent ground cover, smother weeds, and their evergreen leaves keep on going even in the harshest of winters. Plants prefer a spot in the morning sun and afternoon shade.
They’re drought-tolerant to a certain extent, and don’t mind heat and humidity – the perfect garden plant. Plant them straight into the garden to knit together to provide interest under roses and shrubs, and they make excellent container plants, too.
All you need to do is tidy up old leaves in spring and give them a decent general fertiliser such as Growmore, and they’re good to go. Read about the new variety, Frilly, from Dobies.
Best Heuchera for ground cover – Vast leaf colour variation
There are hundreds of varieties on offer, ranging from bright lime and gold through reds, purples and nearly black. Although Heuchera are grown mostly for their leaves, they do carry pretty, delicate flowers in summer, hence the common name Coral Bells. What’s the difference between Heuchera, Tiarella and Heucherella? Not a great deal.
- Heuchera have the most vivid colours, with a maple-shaped leaf, which can be ruffled or veined.
- Tiarella have lobed or heart-shaped foliage, mainly green with maroon markings.
- Heucherella are a cross between the two, so you get the Heuchera’s colour and the leaf shapes and markings of a Tiarella.
Dealing with plant problems
They’re pretty trouble-free, although mine have suffered from vine weevil damage (here’s how to treat and prevent it), and Heuchera can suffer from rust, but I have never had a problem with this. Here are my favourites, including a batch I bought at Harrogate Autumn Show to pep up the border.
- Forever Red: Vivid red foliage with pink flowers in summer, sun or partial shade, height 20cm x 35cm.
- Zipper: Ruffled leaves in orange and amber with white flowers in summer and autumn, sun or partial shade, height 20cm x 30cm.
Best Heuchera for ground cover – Contrasting colours
- Lime Marmalade: Frilly lime-green foliage with white flowers, May-July. Light shade, height 25cm x 40cm.
- Metallica: I grew these from seeds from Plant World Seeds (plants do vary in colour). Marbled and veined leaves in mahogany, bronze, aluminium and silver, pale pink summer flowers. Partial shade, height 30cm x 30cm.
- Heucherella Solar Power: Deep red markings on lobed leaves of yellow-gold forming a spreading mound. Great for a container in shade/partial shade, white flowers, height 25cm x 35cm.
- Midnight Rose: Pink ‘spotting’ covers the dark plum foliage in spring, partial shade or full sun, cream flowers, height 30cm x 40cm.
- Silver Blush: Shiny silver foliage on a dark background, pink flowers in summer, part shade, shade, height 35cm x 35cm.
Popular varieties
- Plum Pudding: An older, popular variety, with lobed, deep beetroot-purple foliage dusted with silvery-grey. White flowers, sun-partial shade, height 20cm x 35cm.
- Marmalade: Ruffled leaves with pink new growth turning to peach, then dark orange, with a rich pink underside. Cream flowers, height 30cm x 40cm.
- Obsidian: Lobed, glossy leaves, reddish-black in spring, darkening to near-black, cream flowers, partial shade, height 25cm x 40cm.
- Paprika: Large orange leaves with a rose tint in spring, changing to orange in summer, deepening to burgundy in autumn. White flowers in spring, sun-shade, height 20cm x 40cm.
For an excellent selection of ground cover Heuchera, visit www.plantagogo.com.
