Heuchera is a herbaceous plant for open ground. Heuchera: a luxuriously leafed plant in landscape design. Reproduction and rejuvenation of heuchera

Today, heuchera is at the peak of its fame and interest in it does not wane every year. This is well deserved - the number of varieties has exceeded a hundred and they are all different from each other. The color of the leaves surprises with the play of shades - scarlet, green-silver, wine, yellow-green. How can you not be tempted and start collecting your collection!

Popular types and varieties

Heuchera – herbaceous perennial up to 0.5 m high with a fleshy rhizome and serrated leaves. The leaves are collected in basal rosettes. The flowers are located on a long peduncle and form panicle inflorescences up to 20 cm high. They are colored red, pink, white, greenish-cream.

Heuchera comes from North America. There, in wooded areas, on river banks and in mountainous areas, about 70 species known today grow.

An unpretentious and frost-resistant species with dense green or spotted leaves and scarlet miniature flowers.

Heuchera varieties "Monet" forms a compact rosette of dense, jagged green leaves with a white pattern. The flowers are small pink, crimson or red, collected in a panicle up to 20 cm in length.

In heuchera varieties " Hercules» bright green leaves with white speckles. Bright red inflorescences stand out against their background. This variety blooms for almost 2 months.

Heuchera parviflora

The most spectacular and elegant heuchera. This is a plant for decorating the foreground in flower beds. It stands out for its bright maple-shaped leaves of red-brown color. Silvery spots may appear against the main background. Many small flowers located on a high peduncle are cream-colored.

Famous variety " Purple Castle "received its name for the rich dark burgundy shade of large glossy leaves.

She is loved for her beautiful and long-lasting flowering. There are many large, drooping flowers on tall and strong peduncles. They resemble in shape and are colored white, coral and pink color. Small green or silver-green leaves form compact bushes.

Red inflorescences of the variety " Rocket"They delight with flowering from mid-summer to September. The leaves of the plant are bright green.

An unpretentious mountain species with green, heart-shaped leaves and silvery veins. Tall flower stalks grow up to 1 m. The flowers are small, white-green or coral in color.

« Greenfinch" - one of the cultivars of Heuchera cylindrical. It has wavy green leaves and burgundy veins. White-green flowers bloom in July-August.

It stands out for its large leaves, up to 20 cm, covered with hairs and pale pink or white inflorescences.

Won't get lost in shady garden Heuchera " Brownness" Large velvety leaves are collected in large rosettes. Their color has a complex green-brown-red tint.

This species is distinguished by excellent health - resistant to diseases and pests. Tolerates low winter climate temperatures well Middle zone. The foliage is shaped like leaves. The flowers of this species are large and white.

American hybrids

This is the most numerous and beautiful group. The leaves of these heucheras resemble luxurious ones. Depending on the variety, their color can be solid green or a complex combination of several shades. The combination of leaves, unusual in shape and color, with delicate inflorescences leaves no one indifferent.

Popular hybrid "Marmalade» will revive the flower garden corrugated leaves red-yellow-orange and white flowers.

Heuchera leaves look like flashes of bright crimson " Rachel." Her flowering is just as bright.

Heuchera wavy leaves "Cancan" compared to the full skirts of dancers. The leaves are red-brown above and crimson below. It blooms with small cream flowers in June-July.

Growing from seeds

Sowing is carried out in the spring - in March or April. The substrate must be light. Vermiculite or perlite are good soil looseners. Water will not stagnate if the soil contains 30% of these materials.

The boxes are filled with prepared soil and moistened with a spray bottle. Then the seeds are distributed over the surface, not planting deeply, but lightly pressing them into the soil. Seeds need light to germinate.

The boxes are covered plastic bag and place it in a well-lit place. The crops are ventilated and watered, preventing them from drying out. Seedlings appear gradually - within 2-3 weeks the maximum number of seedlings will germinate.

Plant them in separate pots or spacious drawers after 2–3 true leaves appear. Seedlings are planted in the ground, keeping an interval between bushes of at least 20 cm. Grown from seeds, plants bloom after 3 years.

Choosing a place and soil for planting

Heuchera grows well in fertile, loose soils with neutral acidity pH 5.5–6.5. Water should not stagnate in the soil, otherwise the rhizomes will quickly begin to rot. To drain excess moisture, deep drainage is arranged in the planting areas.

Sites for heuchera are chosen so that the plants are well lit in the first half of the day. In the sun the leaves become brighter. Some varieties prefer partial shade or shaded areas. Heuchera is often planted in the garden in tree trunk circles fruit trees and shrubs.

Planting in open ground

Young seedlings in the climate of the Central zone are planted in open ground no earlier than the end of May. By this time, warm weather will have established and the risk of frost returning is minimal.

At the planting site, holes are prepared with a width and depth of 30 cm. For drainage, pieces of broken red brick or a layer of expanded clay are placed at the bottom of the holes. Garden soil is mixed with compost or humus, and ash is added. Dry shoots of seedlings are cut off and long roots are shortened. If there is damage on them, then these parts are also cut off. The cut areas are sprinkled with crushed charcoal.

The bushes are planted in holes and watered. At first, monitor the soil moisture; it should not dry out, and shade the small rosettes from the hot sun. Within 1.5–2 months, young heuchera will form a root system.

Care

Watering

Both waterlogging and overdrying of the soil are harmful to heuchera. In hot weather, the bushes are watered abundantly 2-3 times a week. After watering, the plants are loosened superficially so as not to damage the small roots. Mulching with plant residues and peat retains moisture well.

Feeding

Under natural conditions, heuchera can grow in poor soils. But in cultivation, in order for plants to show their decorative properties, they need additional nutrition.

Fertilizing should be moderate; excessive use of fertilizers leads to the occurrence of diseases.

On soils rich in organic matter, the first year of heuchera can do without fertilizing. Subsequently, the plants are fed with mineral complexes. Concentration nutrients should be 2 times less than recommended in the instructions. During the summer, it is useful to dust young bushes with ash several times.

Transfer

Heuchera needs to be rejuvenated every 3-4 years. With a longer period of cultivation, the plant looks less decorative, becomes smaller, overwinters worse and may die.

In spring, heuchera roots and young rosettes often protrude to the soil surface and become bare. Therefore, every year the bushes are hilled up or an additional layer of earth is added around them.

Trimming

In young and immature plants, as well as in varieties valued for the beauty of their foliage, emerging flower stalks are cut off. This will save energy for the heucheras. They will direct them not to flowering and ripening seeds, but to increasing leaf mass. In varieties with beautiful flowers Trimming faded flower stalks stimulates the appearance of new ones.

During the summer, as young leaves grow, old foliage is gradually cut off. For winter, shoots and leaves of heuchera are not cut off.

Shelter for the winter

Some varieties, especially those with light leaves, and young heucheras need winter shelter. It will protect the bushes not only from frost, but also from spring burns. In the fall, the soil around the plant is covered with a layer of moss or mulch, and on top with spruce branches or lutrasil. The shelter should not be dense, otherwise the heucheras may dry out.

Plants that were planted in containers are brought indoors for the winter. A basement or a glazed and insulated terrace is suitable for this.

Reproduction

Heuchera reproduces by seeds and vegetatively - by cuttings and dividing the bush.

Heucheras are easy to propagate seeds, but it must be taken into account that varietal characteristics are not completely preserved with this method. Seeds are purchased at the store or collected from your own plants. They have a limited shelf life, maximum germination lasts for 6 months. The seeds are round, black, and resemble poppy seeds.

Dividing the bush – The easiest and most reliable way to propagate Heuchera.

In May or early September, the bush is dug up, long roots and rotten areas are pruned. The heuchera is divided into several parts with a sharp knife. The cuttings are immediately planted, deepening them down to the growing young leaves. New plantings are watered and protected with lutrasil. After 2 weeks, the divisions will strengthen in their new place and shelter will no longer be needed.

By cuttings you can get a larger number of new plants from one bush.

Before or after flowering, shoots 5–8 cm long are cut from the bushes, the lower sections are sprinkled with crushed charcoal or “Kornevin” and planted in a box filled with a damp and loose substrate or sand.

Cover the top of the cuttings with a plastic bag or glass jar. The rooting process will take 3–4 weeks.

As cuttings, you can take rosettes with pieces of the stem and part of the adventitious roots. The sections are treated with Kornevin and the rosettes are planted in a mini-greenhouse for 1–1.5 months. During this time, new roots will grow and the plants can be planted in a permanent place.

Pests, diseases

The causes of heuchera diseases are increased acidity, excess organic matter in the soil and stagnant water. This leads to the emergence root rot, powdery mildew, rust And leaf spot.

In case of rot, emergency measures are taken: watering is reduced, diseased parts are cut off from affected bushes, healthy tissues are treated with fungicides. To preserve the plant in case of severe damage, cut off healthy rosettes and root them.

Fungicides also help control powdery mildew. For rust and leaf spots, use Bordeaux mixture.

Heucheras love caterpillars, slugs And snails. They gnaw out strong and juicy leaves. If there are few pests, they can be collected manually and destroyed. In case of mass invasion, they are dealt with using insecticides.

The carved and wavy foliage of heuchera gives the garden a special airiness. All season long they decorate borders, rock gardens, mixborders, and coastal areas. Heucheras look harmonious in composition with shrubs, beauties, ferns, etc.

You will learn more about heuchera from the video.

Heuchera is a perennial plant and, at the same time, a favorite of many gardeners. Its value, first of all, lies in its elegant flowering, as well as in its very beautiful leaves, colored in different tones. Heuchera can also be grown in room conditions if you put in enough effort. This article will discuss how to grow heuchera from seeds.

There are no great difficulties or subtleties in the process of growing a plant, but there are still certain nuances that every gardener should know about.

Heuchera is a decoration for any garden!

Heucheras - a scattering of precious stones

Characteristic features of heuchera:

• the plant goes well with bergenia, astilbe and;
• Initially, young leaves have a bright color and are translucent, but as they develop, the leaves become darker and thicken;
• the leaves growing at the bottom of the bush may fall off over time, causing the plant to look rather untidy. Dig up the heuchera before the flowering period begins and transplant it into another, deeper hole. This will hide the “bald” trunk. It is necessary to replant the plant together with the soil surrounding it. root system;
• immediately after flowering, flower stalks must be removed from flowering plant varieties;
• when growing deciduous varieties, it is advisable to remove the peduncle immediately after it appears (unless you plan to collect seed material in the fall). The fact is that the flower stalks have a not very pleasant appearance, they grow significantly higher than the plant itself, which causes irreparable damage to them, or rather, to their decorative properties.

The most popular varieties

There are many varieties of heuchera bred by specialists from different countries for decorating houses and suburban areas. But there are main types of plants from which all modern varieties were obtained.

Table. The most common varieties of heuchera.

Important! There are more than 400 varieties of heuchera and this collection is constantly growing (by about 10-30 specimens annually). Thanks to crossing, breeders were able to develop new, more bright varieties plants. Such as Alba, Hercules, Regina, Citronelle, Marmelade, Black Bird, Purple Palace and others.

Seed preparation

The most common varieties include species blood red heuchera, but besides her, you can meet others. For example, a purple castle or a combination of several varieties. Experienced gardeners They look for plant seeds not only in stores, but also from collectors. As a rule, they are interested only in those varietal plants that reproduce vegetatively.

Heuchera "Comet"

If a gorgeous and interesting heuchera grows in your neighbor’s garden, do not hesitate to take advantage of the moment and ask him for the seeds. This way you can get a good collection. It is recommended to collect seed material before the onset of frost. After a cool and rainy summer the seeds may not ripen, so after purchasing/collecting they need to be placed in cardboard box or a paper bag for ripening.

Selection of container and soil preparation

Properly prepared soil for heuchera is one of the main conditions for growing seedlings from seeds. A store-bought mixture may also be suitable for this purpose, but often gardeners prefer to use a substrate prepared with their own hands. The procedure is simple, but all proportions must be observed.

Mix ½ part river sand, 2 parts turf soil and 1 part peat to prepare soil for heuchera. You also need to add 200 g of ash for every 5 kg of soil mixture. If you cannot get the ash, replace it with dolomite flour. You just need not 200 g, but 2-3 tablespoons.

Important! If you do buy store-bought soil, then you need to mix it with a small amount of washed coarse sand in a ratio of 10:1.

In addition, gardeners use vermicompost as a soil mixture, which they mix with coconut fiber. There should be twice as much fiber as humus. Before use, the soil must be heated in the oven and poured with potassium permanganate or boiling water for disinfection. For this purpose, you can use a fungicide solution or any other disinfectant. This must be done, especially when using soil prepared at home. It is also advisable to perform this operation with a purchased soil mixture for prevention.

Take care of the sand that you will need to sprinkle the sown seeds. As in the case of soil mixture, sand is also treated for preventive purposes. This will avoid unpleasant consequences.

There are no restrictions in choosing containers for seedlings, so you can use anything. As a rule, when growing heuchera, gardeners use plastic or wooden boxes, but special cassettes can also be used. The peculiarity of seedling cassettes is that seeds are sown in portions. Before filling the soil, the containers must be washed, and several small holes must be made at the bottom to drain the liquid. The bottom layer should consist of drainage material. It is better to use expanded clay for drainage, although other materials with similar properties can be used.

Sowing seeds

How to sow heuchera seeds for seedlings? There is nothing complicated about this process. The main thing is to follow the instructions given in the table below.

Table. Sowing heuchera seeds.

Aftercare

Without dividing, the plant can grow for up to 5 years, after which it stretches, falls apart and becomes “liquid.” This process does not make heuchera attractive. In winter, in this state, the bush can freeze completely. Also, the early spring sun, which awakens it, can pose a particular danger to the plant. ahead of schedule. To protect the heuchera, it needs to be planted or mulched - this will extend the life of the bush. In the fall, add a little compost under each bush. This will strengthen the plant and allow it to grow new roots.

Lighting requirements

For optimal growth, heuchera needs a western or eastern side, since the plant feels comfortable in the shade under a tree or in the sun under a slight shadow from other garden crops. But you also need to take into account the specific characteristics of heuchera when choosing a place for cultivation. So, for example, for leaves painted in bright color, more intense lighting is required - this will increase the brightness of the plant. Some species are able to change their color in the shade (from red to green).

Watering heuchera

Heuchera needs to be watered regularly so that the soil does not dry out - about 3 times a week. In the case of this plant, it is better to skip watering once than to do it twice. Even a slight excess of moisture has a negative effect on the crop. If we are talking about hot summer days, then during this period it is advisable to water twice a day - in the evening and in the morning. When watering, try not to get water on the stem and leaves of the bush, as this can lead to burns. For watering, use a special watering can.

Top dressing

In the spring, plants need to be fed with extreme caution, especially after a harsh winter. At first, it is advisable to spray them with Zircon or Epin - this will help strengthen the immune system. Upon completion of flowering, complex mineral fertilizers. This also needs to be done before the flowering period.

Important! Throughout the summer, the plant needs to be fed with ash once. If the flower stalks have grown tall, then it is advisable to tie them up and, at the end of the flowering period, cut them off.

Landing in the ground

Experienced gardeners will never replant young heuchera bushes, because this can destroy the plant. It is advisable to replant only mature and strong bushes. During the digging process, you need to try not to damage the root system, which is still too fragile, so you should be extremely careful. After you prepare a new planting hole, pour some ash into it first.

Only adult and healthy representatives tolerate transplantation well, and they can take root without problems almost anywhere in the garden.

Flower garden "Bordeaux" with heuchera. 1. Hybrid Heuchera - Heuchera x hybrida ‘Neptune’. 2. Hybrid Heuchera - Heuchera x hybrida ‘Chocolate Ruffles’. 3. Hybrid Heuchera - Heuchera x hybrida ‘Silver Scrolls’. 4. Beautiful Dicentra - Dicentra formosa. 5. Magnificent Dicentra - Dicentra spectabilis. 6. Zigadenus elegans. 7. Hybrid hosta - Hosta x hybrida ‘Wide Brim’. 8. Hybrid daylily - Hemerecallis x hybrida ‘Julie Newmar’. 9. Siberian iris - Iris sibirica ‘Contrast in Styles’

Video - Features of growing heuchera

Heuchera small-flowered palace Purple castle Heuchera micrantha Palace Purple planting and care photo

Heuchera heuchera is a herbaceous perennial, family Saxifraga, the name is derived from the Latin Heuchera. It is named after the German physician and botanist Johann Heinrich von Heicher. Its roots are from North America. The size of the plant is small, adult bushes of the plant reach 50 cm in height.

Heuchera is amazing ornamental plant, which I loved landscape designers, due to its bright leaf color. The highlight of this exquisite perennial is that during the growing season it can change its color more than once. It is impossible to find among plants a flower more saturated with different shades than heuchera.

Heuchera is a real find, because it will impress even the most demanding gardener, both professional and amateur. It seems that this culture collected all the colors for itself. Starting from silver, yellow, green and ending with black. These are also all shades of red, including purple, burgundy and soft pink. Every year, breeders delight gardeners and designers with new heuchera hybrids. All kinds of patterns, veins, and spots are also characteristic of heuchera. The leaves are leathery, toothed.

There are 3 types of texture:

1. smooth
2. corrugated
3. curly.

Heuchera flowers will delight you until frost with shades of pink, white, red and cream. Small bells are collected in a small panicle, attached to thin tall stems. The seeds are in a small so-called capsule, about the size of a poppy seed.

Heuchera varieties are divided into two categories:

1. Ornamental foliage is a plant with gorgeous leaves, such as American heuchera.
2. decorative flowering, for example blood-red heuchera, which is valued in landscape design for your flowers.

Heuchera is a chic decoration for artificial ponds, a beautiful container plant, some varieties are used for cutting. Looks great with hostas and astilbes in mixborders.

Growing heuchera in the garden

Heuchera, despite its magnificence, is enough unpretentious flower. Growing it will not be difficult, just as there is nothing complicated in caring for it.

In order for the heuchera to please throughout the entire period of its growth, you need to know the following features:

1. To maintain the aesthetics of the flower bed, it is necessary to remove the flower stalks after the flowers have wilted, maintaining a harmonious appearance of the composition. But this is only if you are not interested in further propagation of the flower using seeds.
2. In heuchera, the peduncle is cut off immediately after the plant has finished flowering.
3. The lower leaves tend to fall off. In order to maintain the attractiveness of the flower bed, simply transplant the perennial into a deeper hole in order to cover the bald trunk.
4. To avoid drying out, hill up the bush. Sometimes this procedure should be done a couple of times a season.
5. Over time, heuchera leaves darken and thicken, but at the very beginning, that is, in the first months, they are brighter and more transparent.
6. To create a harmonious design, use compositions from plants such as daylilies, ornamental grasses, and primroses.

Planting heuchera in spring and autumn in the ground

This shade-loving plant , therefore it is recommended to plant it in the ground in partial shade, without direct sunlight. The best option- east side or west side.

If the flower gets exposed to the afternoon sun, then it is necessary to maintain high humidity abundant watering. You can design the flowerbed so that at lunchtime the bush is shaded by a taller plant. There are exceptions - red varieties. They reveal their palette only in a sunny flowerbed.

The video will tell you where and how to plant heuchera:

There should be no problems with the soil. Any with an acidity of 5-6 is suitable. Can also be added to soil dolomite flour or ash, this will deoxidize it. If you remember where heuchera comes from, namely from the mountainous regions of the country, then you can even plant the flower on a rocky area.

But still, give preference to fertile soil, so the heuchera will reward you with lush and luxurious flowering. Pay attention to the drainage, it should be about 3-5 cm. There should be no stagnation of water, so low areas are not suitable for planting. Experts also recommend sprinkling the rhizome with coarse sand or earth with coarse expanded clay, this will protect the heuchera root from rot.
There are two methods of reproduction:

• Seminal– they are collected from the peduncle, sown directly into the soil, previously loosened, and covered with soil. In order for seedlings to germinate more evenly, it is necessary to mix the seeds with sand. Before sowing, it is recommended to warm or freeze the soil. Plant in a low container, about 5 cm, with holes and cover with film or glass. After the third leaf, dive (distance 4-6 cm). We remove the cover for the flower. This method is only suitable for ordinary green varieties, because the seeds may not convey any varietal characteristics. A perennial blooms, which grew from seeds in the third year.
• Vegetative– best option. The reason is that this guarantees the preservation of the varietal characteristics of the plant. It is easy to grow seedlings in a greenhouse from cut cuttings.

• In June or July, it is necessary to cut the cuttings so that they do not touch the rhizome.
• It is better to treat the cutting area with a root former; the leaves at the bottom are not needed, they can be removed, and after that the finished cuttings can be planted in peat or sand.
• For good growth and rooting it will take 2-4 weeks, with constant soil moisture and ventilation of the greenhouse.

Heuchera pests and diseases

Heucheras do not get sick often, and if this happens, the situation is not critical. The main thing is not to overfeed the plant and thoroughly drain the soil, because otherwise the perennial becomes weaker and does not resist disease.

If powdery mildew appears on the leaves or root rot, then dig up the perennial and treat it with a fungicide; it won’t hurt to replant it in another place. And if affected by spotting or rust, spray with a solution of Bordeaux mixture once every two weeks until complete recovery.
As for pests, you can use insecticides against snails, caterpillars, and leaf nematodes.

After flowering

The perennial begins to bloom in June. Flowering duration is 2 months, although it can be longer. Peduncles should not be picked; they must be carefully cut off. However, this is not necessary to obtain seeds. There is no need to remove the leaves, but more on that below.

Wintering Heuchera

This culture overwinters easily, a little preparation is enough for comfort. Heuchera's winter hardiness is excellent, but in harsh winters you should play it safe. Leave the dried leaves untouched; later in the spring, after frosts, they are removed with pruning shears to activate and start the growth of new buds. This will additionally protect the plant from severe frosts. The main shelter should be constructed from oak leaves, spruce branches, hay, pine needles, straw or other similar material.

Types and varieties of heuchera Description and photos

There are quite a lot of varieties of heuchera - about 70 names. Most of them grow in forests and near mountain rivers in the USA and Mexico. The main types of heuchera are called: mountain and forest. Below we will look at the most popular varieties, which are used not only for decorating flower beds or creating a unique landscape design, but also for breeding more and more new varieties of heuchera. Hybrids are created in two directions, the first - lush flowering, the second is the decorative splendor of the leaves.

Heuchera blood red Heuchera sanguinea

This variety belongs to the mountain species. It is characterized by pure green, or with small splashes of silver, cream and white, leaves. They are denser in structure than the leaves of other varieties of this perennial. The flowers are rich in color, red or dark pink, 1-1.5 cm in length.

The height of the bush reaches 40 cm in length. The peduncle is unstable and thin. Since in nature Heuchera comes from mountainous and northern places, it is very hardy. That's why flower growers loved her so much. The most comfortable place for blood-red heuchera there will be a well-ventilated, shady area with excellent drainage. The most common varieties are Monet, Variegata and Hercules.

Heuchera villosa

It has velvety and slightly pubescent leaves, quite large in size. The flowers are small, cream-colored, and bloom in June–August. In nature, it can be found in river valleys of the United States. Varieties differ in foliage color.

Heuchera cylindrica

It is also a mountain species, with a high peduncle; glandular stems reach up to 90 cm. The flowers during flowering are large, they are white, coral, pink and green. The inflorescences are very dense. The leaves are green, toothed, rounded. The striking sheets feature a silver pattern plus veining in a contrasting color. Popular varieties of heuchera cylindrical: Greenfinch, Hyperion, Green Ivory.

Heuchera small-flowered Heuchera micrantha

Heuchera small-flowered obsidian Heuchera-micrantha ‘Obsidian’ in garden design photo

Bears the title of the most spectacular species. This is well deserved. The thing is that in nature the color of the leaves is purple, and breeders have added brightness to the already chic look. The leaf shape is maple. Peduncle 60 cm, small flowers of creamy pink color. The plant is unpretentious, frost-resistant, loves slightly acidic soil. The variety Palace Purple belongs to Heuchera small-flowered; in 1999 it was recognized as the best perennial.

Heuchera americana

Known as mountain geranium. In nature, American heuchera grows near the Great Lakes. It is attractive for its leaves, namely its red veins. Below is a purple leaf. The shape of the leaf is rounded, and the ends are beautifully jagged. During the growing season it changes color, the most bright shades occur in autumn and spring.

Heuchera hybrida Heuchera hybrida

Heuchera hybrid Caramel Heuchera ‘Caramel’ Coral Bells photo in the garden

It turned out by crossing blood-red heuchera with American heuchera. The leaves, peduncles and flowers are larger than those of its predecessors. The leaves are green with contrasting veins, and the flowers are white, red or pink. Varieties: Cancan, Beauty Color, Cappuccino, Ruby Vale.

Heuchera grossulariifolia

It differs from other representatives of heuchera by its excellent frost resistance. Even in harsh climates with severe frosts no need to worry about its wintering. This is a small bush, 15 cm to be precise, and the leaves are about 7 cm in diameter.

Heuchera is decorative all season long. It has no equal in beauty and variety of varieties and shades. The range of colors is impressive: from green and silver to red and black. There are varieties whose leaf colors are different in spring and summer. Heuchera - a chameleon is more interesting to watch than others flowering perennials. When it comes to caring for the heuchera, it is content with little.

Heuchera in garden design

Individual plantings with heuchera look most impressive when the plants present a multi-colored carpet of golden, orange, brown, green, red, pink and almost black leaves.
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Planting heuchera in open ground

Planting heuchera is not difficult even for a novice gardener. Determine the appropriate timing, choose a place, prepare the plant and confidently plant the bushes. After planting, provide proper care: cover it from the bright sun and “water” the heuchera.

Heuchera planting dates

1. The best time to plant heuchera is May And June. For reliable rooting, the plant needs a little more than a month and not too hot weather.
2. Acceptable in the Moscow region and July planting heuchera if the plant was purchased with a closed root system and there is no heat outside.
3. Plants planted in August, may not have time to take root in case early autumn and early September frosts.

Place for planting heuchera

• Heuchera does equally well in the shade and in the sun.
• However, it is better to avoid planting in absolute shade, for example, on the north side between the house and the fence.
• You also need to consider that different varieties look different in intense light or in the shade.

Before placing the plant in the garden, you need to place it in the sun or shade, and decide in which light you like the way the heuchera looks best.

How to plant heuchera correctly

1. Loose soils with the addition of compost or humus are preferable; I add ¼ bucket of humus per 1 m², and do not add any other fertilizers.
2. Before planting, I immerse the plant along with the pot in a solution of sodium humate for several hours.
3. I take the plant out of the pot and inspect the roots, carefully remove all granular fertilizers, if any, so that the plant quickly gets used to the new soil and switches to self-feeding.
4. Heucheras should be planted in the same way as strawberries, without deepening the root collar.

After planting, you need to water and shade if it is hot outside.

Care for heuchera in open ground

Heuchera is an easy-to-care plant, but there are some nuances to growing. Over time, the plant develops a good rosette of leaves, the top grows, and the lower part of the stem becomes a little bare, and therefore the heuchera needs autumn mulching with soil or compost.

Feeding heuchera

Heucheras do not need to be overfed, otherwise the bush will quickly age.

• I only add compost when planting.
• Then, for 3 years I do not apply fertilizers, and after that - renewal and replanting.

The faster the heuchera grows foliage, the more the bottom of the bush becomes exposed, the plant turns into some kind of “palm tree” and needs rejuvenation.

Heuchera flowering

IN June- July Heucheras throw out flower stalks, and gardeners deal with them differently.

1. There are varieties with beautiful flowers, you can leave them, but there are flower stalks that are completely inconspicuous; they are cut off one at a time at the base so as not to leave protruding “stumps”.
2. There are Heuchera lovers who value only its leaves; they cut off the shoots even with the buds as soon as they appear.
3. It is believed that flowering weakens the plant to some extent and, instead of growing a rosette of leaves, the strength goes into the flowers.
4. In my garden, I have not noticed that flowering somehow weakens the plants, so I cut off the flower stalks not before, but after flowering, not allowing the seeds to set.

Photo: Heuchera bloom

Heuchera in winter

When growing heuchera, you need to remember that the plant overwinters with leaves, so in the fall they should never be cut off.

• Since the plant emerges from under the snow with leaves, and the soil is still frozen, the heuchera often “burns” in the sun, and gardeners sometimes mistakenly believe that the plant has not overwintered.
• To prevent the death of heuchera from sun rays, in October or March, I spread a non-woven fabric directly over a thin layer of snow over the heuchera plantings and securely fasten it. I’m filming material in early May in cloudy weather.

What to do if the heuchera is damaged by the sun in the spring?

1. You need to take a knife and cut off the very top of the plant with a stem about 2-3 cm long. If the stem is dry and soft, then there is little chance of resuscitation of the plants.
2. If the stem is hard, you need to cut off all the dried leaves and completely immerse the cutting in the epin solution: 2 drops per liter for several hours.
3. Then, in partial shade, prepare the soil, level it, pour a few cm of sand on top, moisten it properly, and stick the cutting in, leaving only the very top on the surface. Cover the top with half a plastic bottle with the lid closed.
4. The cuttings need to be watered, usually after 3-4 weeks the leaves begin to grow. This year the plant is not replanted; after 1.5 months, in cloudy weather, the bottle is removed.

Pruning heuchera in spring

• In spring, I cut off the lower leaves of the heuchera.
• I do this after I remove the non-fabric from the plants.

Reproduction and rejuvenation of heuchera

Heuchera propagates quite easily using basal rosettes

• If there are side rosettes, they are carefully separated with a knife, dug up and planted in a new place.
• If the rosettes have separated without roots, they are covered with a plastic bottle, that is, a greenhouse is created.

If you plan to update the heuchera bush, it is completely dug up and the rosettes are separated.

Heuchera propagation by cuttings

1. It happens that old bushes have half-rotten roots and a half-dry “stem” - the trunk.
2. This is how they are treated. With a sharp knife or use pruning shears to cut down to healthy tissue, even if a very short stem remains.
3. They cut off the leaves, leaving only a few of the youngest ones, cut the plants, and cover them with bottles.
4. It is advisable to do the cuttings before mid-summer.
5. If the cuttings slowly grow leaves, or the cutting process itself is carried out closer to autumn, then I leave the plants to overwinter under bottles.

The same method is used when you need to rejuvenate an old plant. Heuchera is rejuvenated once every 3 years.
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Growing heuchera in open ground is not at all difficult; you just need to choose the right place to plant the plant. Many varieties grow and reproduce well even in the mountainous regions of North America, so caring for heuchera in our latitudes is very simple, because it can grow even on rocky soil. In addition, its decorativeness and versatility will add new shades to any landscape design.

Description of heuchera: varieties and varieties

So, what is this miracle - heuchera? An evergreen perennial plant 40-60 cm high. The leaves are medium in size, round in shape, sit on long petioles and form a rosette at the root. Heuchera blooms from late May until autumn. The flowers form an inflorescence-panicle about 20 cm long. After flowering, fruit-pods with seeds are formed.

Heuchera decorative foliage

Cultivated heuchera varieties can be divided into two categories:

• decorative deciduous;
• decorative flowering.

Heuchera is decorative with its foliage: no other plant has such a variety of palettes and leaf textures. Heuchera flowers are noticeably inferior to leaves, but there are varieties that are valued specifically for their inflorescences; they create a magnificent color contrast with the foliage of the plant.

To date, about 400 varieties of heuchera have already been bred; their shades and varieties will satisfy the most sophisticated taste and will find their place in any landscape design.

At the moment, cylindrical, American and blood red heuchera varieties are especially popular. Now let's look at these varieties in more detail with photos.

Planting a plant

Before planting, you need to choose a place and prepare the soil. Heuchera goes well with other perennials and is not aggressive towards them, so you can safely plant it in company with other types of plants or plant a flower bed from different varieties Heuchera.

The plant feels great in any neighborhood

The plant prefers light and nutritious soils where water does not stagnate. Acidic soil does not suit it. Before planting, you need to add coarse river sand or pebbles to the soil. Seedlings should be planted in May at a distance of 20-25 cm and watered regularly, but not over-watered, otherwise the plant may die. You can plant heuchera in open ground with seeds, cuttings, or by separating the rosette of an adult bush.

Plant care

As for care, in this regard, heuchera is very unpretentious. But there are some conditions, and these are:

• diffuse shadow;
• deep drainage;
• permeable soil.

Heuchera, planted in the shade of trees or in partial shade, will retain its decorative effect, since it needs the sun in the morning. It is worth planting varieties with red leaves in sunny areas; in the sun they will turn red, but in the shade they will remain green. But many varieties adapt to the sun - the silvery mosaic of their foliage becomes more saturated in color, and heucheras with purple foliage darken.

In the shade, heuchera leaves will take on rich shades.

Heuchera has a superficial root system, so it is important to protect the roots from drying out. It is best to use mulching. Mulch will retain moisture, the soil under it breathes and is structured by soil inhabitants. Straw, sawdust, compost, tree bark, foliage, expanded clay screenings, gravel, and peat can be used as mulch.

The soil must be permeable - stagnation of water can cause the plant to get sick and die. Therefore, you should take care of drainage even when planting the plant.

Aging heuchera bushes lose their decorative properties - the middle of the bush becomes exposed. In this case, you need to rejuvenate the bush: dig up the plant, divide it into parts and plant it. This should be done at the end of summer after flowering or in spring before the leaves bloom. Heuchera tolerates these manipulations painlessly and immediately begins to grow.

Mulching the soil will help heuchera maintain moisture balance.

Dried foliage is not removed in winter - it helps the plant to overwinter, covers the roots and retains heat. Remove only inflorescences with seeds - after flowering they spoil decorative look. Further collected seeds can be used for propagation and cultivation of heuchera in open ground. Varieties with light foliage and young bushes need to be additionally covered with foliage for the winter.

Advice. Water the plants early in the morning or evening; drops of water in the sun can cause burns on the leaves.

Fertilizer and feeding of heuchera

Before human cultivation, heuchera grew in the mountains, where the soil was rather poor. Modern varieties are still not far removed from their wild relatives, so they do not complain about the low amount of nutrients in the soil. Mineral fertilizers are rarely used. It is better to limit yourself to one feeding in the spring in the first year after planting. If you did not do this in the spring, then feed the heuchera with a mineral complex fertilizer for deciduous plants at the end of the growing season. After applying fertilizer, be sure to water the bushes.

There is no need to regularly feed the plant

Important. When applying fertilizers, be sure to reduce the dose by half from that recommended by the manufacturer on the packaging.

Plant propagation

Propagation by dividing the bush is the simplest method, which preserves the decorative properties of the variety. This is done early in spring or autumn. Separate the rosette from the adult plant and replant it a little deeper than the mother plant was planted.

The second method is cuttings. In summer, a cutting of 4-6 cm in size is cut from the bush and rooted in a greenhouse. The process takes 3-4 weeks, after which the finished plant can be planted.

Dividing a heuchera bush

Diseases and pests

As for diseases, heuchera is unique in that it practically does not get sick in the open ground, and is rarely affected by pests. But sometimes it can suffer from powdery mildew, rust, gray rot or leaf spot. This can happen if the plant is watered frequently or the soil is poorly drained and water stagnates at the roots, creating an ideal environment for pathogens to develop. From excess fertilizers, the plant “fattens”, which leads to weakened immunity. powdery mildew You can win by spraying with a fungicide, after removing diseased leaves, and Bordeaux mixture will cope with spotting and rust.

Rust on a heuchera leaf

As for pests, the danger to the plant is larvae of the cockchafer, which can gnaw the roots, grape snails, slugs, caterpillars and leaf nematodes, which can be gotten rid of with an insecticide.

Advice. During the day, slugs hide in secluded places from the sun, so you can place a board, slate, cardboard or a piece of old linoleum near the heuchera, and collect slugs under them in the morning.

Heuchera: combination with other plants

Thanks to the contrasting combination of heuchera leaves with the leaves of other plants, you can create unique compositions. Heuchera is planted with hostas, cupenas, ferns, hellebores, daylilies, and combined with decorative cereals, brunera, irises, barberries.

Heuchera will decorate your garden even in the fall, when other plants have faded.

Heuchera goes well with tall coniferous plants, acts as a complement for short roses. In the spring it is good to place with tulips: after they bloom, the flowerbed is not empty.

Heuchera in landscape design

Don't be afraid to experiment with planting heuchera in your area. How gems, heuchera will decorate any flower garden; no other flower crop has such a rich palette with an abundance of colors and shades.

A huge advantage of heuchera is its decorative effect throughout the growing season and ease of care. Heuchera is grown both in single landings of one species or mixed, they are used as a perennial ground cover plant. Having a compact bush form, heuchera is an ideal companion for combination with other plants. This is a real find for those cases when you need to fill space in a flower garden or emphasize the advantages of another plant, or highlight the planting of coniferous plants.

Heuchera in landscape design

Heuchera does not lose its decorative form with age, so it will fit perfectly into strict flower beds geometric shapes, will disguise unsightly areas. Heuchera is suitable for creating alpine slides, rocky gardens, borders, decorating terraces and gazebos. It can be used to decorate garden sculptures, slides and fountains. Often used for planting in front flower beds.

In the first year after planting, heuchera will be difficult to appreciate its merits in landscape design - just planted, it will not yet become such a lush beauty, but already in the next season you will be able to enjoy the density of colors.

Heuchera varieties and their cultivation: video

Heuchera: photo