There are Heucheras and then there are Heucheras. Some disappear quickly and are never missed. Others last so long and well that I've turned them into swaths of ground cover. Some barely flower and others are suffused with blooms. Most of my Heuchera successes are from my early gardening days. They've been divided and moved so many times I no longer have a clue as to the names of most of them. Despite having a lot of plant id cards, I've never really been able to figure out who's who among these oldies.
These days I look for villosa hybrids and steer clear of most new "hot" varieties. When I'm trying a new variety I don't really want to buy more than one for starters, but it seems they hit the market and disappear so fast it's hard to find them again if you do want to add more. New plants seem to be following the "fast fashion" model.
The leaves on this variety start out almost purplish and become more green as the season progresses. This is the unknown Heuchera with the best flower count of any I've ever grown. I look forward to it blooming each year which is not something I do with most Heucheras.
No. 2 favorite. Dark foliage that holds its color in western sun. Lots of flowers but I like these stems as part of a mixed bouquet rather than as the stars.
One of the early purplish introductions that has survived and been divided.
H. 'Pinot Grigio' has lovely pastel foliage that is pinker or redder depending on location. Nice flowers as well, though not as many as I'd like.
My alter-ego vase filled with the pink stems of the Heuchera in the first picture.
Not only does each plant produce a lot of flower stems, the stems themselves are packed with tiny flowers.
She thought her display was a little bland and sent me out for a bloom of Gladiolus murielae aka Peacock Orchid.
That vase is perfect for the Heuchera flowers, Linda! I value Heuchera primarily for their foliage and I've tried at least a dozen varieties over the years; however, I've only gotten one species, H. maxima, a California native, to hang on in my garden. Unfortunately, its foliage is quite boring.
Posted by: Kris P | Monday, July 24, 2023 at 02:07 PM
Love the alter-ego vase. Perfect. And your Heucheras are beautiful. I have not had any luck with Heucheras here (rabbits, something else?), so I give up. But I do think they are beautiful plants. :)
Posted by: Beth@PlantPostings | Monday, July 24, 2023 at 06:22 PM
Perfection achieved with the addition to your bouquet of heuchera blooms! I like heuchera a lot but they are rather scattered in different places and I don't remember names except for the one I recently planted. I sure that will drift away soon, too.
Posted by: Barbara H. | Monday, July 24, 2023 at 09:16 PM
What a darling little vase! She really shows off those heuchera blooms that sometimes get lost outside.
Posted by: Tracy | Tuesday, July 25, 2023 at 10:02 AM
Oh that dark foliage is spectacular! The masses of heuchera pumped into the market has turned me off of them, but if I could find that one and it stayed dark in my garden I would buy it in a heartbeat! Oh and the addition of the gladiolus bloom was inspired.
Posted by: danger garden | Tuesday, July 25, 2023 at 10:37 AM
The fancy foliage ones are expensive annuals in my garden--so no more. 15 or 16 species native to the state but mostly quite north of here. H. maxima and micrantha do so-so/okay.
They are lovely in your garden, and wow! in your vase.
All the here-and-gones for sale sound like the recent storm of many many different Mangaves, which are happier in the local climate than Heucheras. Tissue culture...
Posted by: hb | Tuesday, July 25, 2023 at 07:16 PM
I also have heuchera #3 and I also don't know the name of it!
Posted by: Kathy from Cold Climate Gardening | Tuesday, July 25, 2023 at 08:03 PM
KRIS — Heucheras are one of those plants that is being hybridized to death. Seems like there is a new one every 5 minutes. Only one or two more recent ones have ever lasted more than a year or two for me. Humidity and frost heave are the big problems here.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Wednesday, July 26, 2023 at 08:59 AM
BARB — Too many of the Heuchera have foliage that is similar enough to each other that it's impossible to keep them straight once you plant them.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Wednesday, July 26, 2023 at 09:02 AM
TRACY AND BETH — If you look at the header on my blog you will see this little vase and her partner. Got them years ago and I get a surprising number of questions about where people can buy them.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Wednesday, July 26, 2023 at 09:04 AM