Hoorah for Heuchera

Posted in Gardening Tips on August 15 2011, by Ann Rafalko

Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education.

When I started gardening, I thought of coral bells (Heuchera) as a pleasant choice for the front of a shade border or a nice accent in a tapestry of low growing woodland inhabitants.

I now have a much deeper appreciation for this versatile plant. While some of it has to do with an increased knowledge in horticulture, and a better understanding of the dynamics of design and what constitutes a garden-worthy plant, part of my growing admiration comes from the vast strides that have been made by hybridizers over the past decade.

In our Trial Bed Garden in the Home Gardening Center we have a bed that is devoted to coral bells. It has been there several years so I have been able to watch and see not only how the Huechera have performed during the growing season but also how they have held up over several winters.

On one end of the bed we have planted a coral bell named ‘Black Out.’ One objective of Heuchera hybridizing programs has been a search for the coral bell with the darkest foliage. The results has been a number of newer cultivars that range from chocolate brown to deep burgundy brown, with the ultimate goal of producing a Huechera with true-black foliage.

Heuchera ‘Black Out’ is one of the blackest coral bells on the market. It has glossy deep burgundy foliage that transitions into black with burgundy overtones on its undersides.  ‘Black Out’s maple-shaped foliage is medium sized and has a compact shape (without being too small) that makes it ideal for container plantings. All of the plants survived this past winter, although a few of them died back a little and are not as vigorous this year. In general, however, their performance has been good.

Another winner in our Trial Bed Garden is Heuchera ‘Frosted Violet Dream’. This coral bell has deep burgundy foliage that is mottled with silver. The maple-shaped foliage shimmers in a garden setting. It is another medium sized coral bell that is a vigorous grower with a spectacular performance record in this garden. In early to mid summer this coral bell is covered with an attractive haze of dainty pink flowers.

One of the casualties in our garden this year was a cultivar called ‘Sugar Plum’. While it performed beautifully last season, it struggled over the winter and we ended up replacing it this year. We were growing this cultivar in full sun whereas it would normally be happier in part shade. I am not sure if that contributed to its demise; poor drainage is a more likely explanation.

I would love to hear back with your experiences. What are your favorite black coral bells on the market and how do they perform in your gardens? Next time we will look at some coral bells that are ideal for tough, sunny locations: the Heuchera villosa hybrids.