Posts Tagged ‘Heuchera’

Do you have a favorite perennial pairing that makes you smile? One of my favorite shade gardening “pairs” is Tiarella and Heuchera (I’m particularly fond of Frosted Violet which has fantastic vigor and is both heat & drought tolerant). I have found both to be hard working shade ground covers that are easy care providing multi -seasonal interest.

Both are excellent for container gardening.  They do well if left outside during the winter  in my unprotected in my Zone 5 garden.

The spring flowers of Tiarella  continue to bloom sporadically in cooler climates and makes a charming carpet of foamy (and FRAGRANT) flowers which I LOVE edging a shaded garden path with.  Heucheras come in a wide range of foliage colors and are great anywhere you can provide protection from the hot afternoon sun.

Tiarella is a terrific choice for winter color. Their intricate evergreen leaves turn  intense burgundy shades in the winter which gives you something to enjoy when you get an occasional snow melt while reflecting on the growing season ahead.

Check out our Shade Perennial Garden Collections for more inspiring ideas for your shade garden.

Heuchera & Tiarella  – both oh-so-easy garden plants with color & interest and spring- winter interest.   What pairing makes you smile?

Helleborus Grape Galaxy

It’s getting to be one of my favorite times of the year as all of my Stock Plant Hellebores begin to come into bloom! These ultra-easy and extremely hardy Shade Plants make superb, long-lived perennials in the garden. Their foliage is semi-evergreen in the North and totally evergreen in the South.

Plus, they are 100% DEER PROOF! I’ve grown Hellebores for over 15 years and have had deer prance thru my garden chewing everything in site, BUT they have never touched a single Hellebore. This might be because their leaves are slightly toxic.

My Hellebores are all in greenhouses in Western Michigan and are beginning their flower show much earlier than plants outdoors. In most parts of the country, they’ll begin their flower show in late winter and continue for over 8 weeks.

Hellebores, with their dark green foliage, make superb companions to shade-loving plants like Heucheras, Hostas, Hardy Ferns, & Hydrangeas.

If you’ve never grown Hellebores, now is the perfect time to start! We’ve got over 13 colorful selections for you to choose from on our website at www.GreatGardenPlants.com !

Happy New Year to All!

Heucheras for the Shade

Here’s one of my favorite groups of Shade Perennials! Heucheras (or Coral Bells) have come a long way over the past 15 years due to the dedicated breeding programs of folks like Dan Heims of Terra Nova Nurseries.

Heuchera Southern Comfort

These colorful shade lovers thrive with little care and provide a wonderful range of color to brighten up even the darkest shade spot in your garden. Heucheras come in an array of colors, sizes, & flowers. From the bright yellow leaves of Heuchera Lime Rickey to the intense peach of Heuchera Georgia Peach. The leaves of Heuchera Southern Comfort can reach an AMAZING 10” across, while the vivid red blooms of Heuchera Rave On create a flurry of color in the late spring garden.

Heucheras are easy to grow and thrive in most garden conditions. They love morning sun until 1pm, but will also grow in heavier shade. I usually fertilize my established Heucheras in mid April with Osmocote slow-release fertilizer (you can buy at any good garden center). I’ve found that 1 tablespoon of Osmocote scattered around each plant will feed them all spring & summer. Watering your Heucheras once a week will also help keep them happy.

Here’s a fun container garden idea I shot while visiting a garden in Portland, Oregon.

Ring of Fire Patio Container

This colorful combination combines sun-tolerant Heuchera Peach Flambe with the drought-proof & sun-loving Sedum Mr. Goodbud.

A dynamic duo that is both low-maintenance and colorful – what more can you ask for?

I would simply water about once per week and if you’re in a good mood you could throw in a tablespoon of Miracle-Grow plant food in a gallon of water to really get the show going! But, if you just have to take that 2-week summer vacation, this pair of plants are especially forgiving and should be fine during your trip.

Some of my favorite perennials for creating colorful mixed containers include drought-proof Sedums, brilliant Heucheras, & architectural Ornamental Grasses.

Hostas are an all time favorite shade perennial – and quite honestly I’m pretty passionate about them.  I have found throughout my 25 years of gardening that I can plant them any time of the year the ground is not frozen.  They are as tough as a pair of old boots and speaking of boots you can even take an old pair and use them as a planter. I even dug out a few clumps one year in the middle of summer, left them in the garage, went on vacation for a week , then planted them and they did just fine

Hostas come in all kinds of sizes, shapes, colors and even blooms times.  Having grown over 300 of them at one time I do attest to some favorites.  Somebody once asked my what makes a Hosta a favorite – so here you go.

1)  I don’t  like those little holes that pop up all of a sudden in the leaves.  This is caused by slugs.   I have found over the years that slugs are drawn more to old varieties which have a thinner substance than many of the newer varieties with thicker substance.   As long as I know what  is filet mignon to them, I’ll stick with the newer stuff.

2)  Now that I’ve moved recently I have a lot more sunnier areas – so I like varieties that can do well in both sun and shade

3)  Hostas look great in the spring – but what about late summer & fall.  Hey – that’s when my gardening is really starting to kick in and sure don’t want any wimpy performers that start to shut down in August.

So here’s my I-can’t-live-without Hosta list:

June – nice medium size – just looks darn beautiful even into September

Stained Glass – wow can this take some sun  and the leaves are SO shiny

Touch of Class - the name says it all

Sum & Substance - no garden should be without this beauty – it just gets bigger & more impressive every year.

Regal Splendor – Its the vase shaped style this is just awesome.

TIP: Grows the best in well drained soil & moist conditions.

COMBINATION IDEAS: If I had only 3 plants to use in a shade garden, they would be Hostas, Ferns &  Hakonechloa macra Aureola

by Mary Walters. www.GreatGardenPlants.com.