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thisismelissa

Now, WHERE are your heuch's? Collections or accessories?

thisismelissa
11 years ago

The "How Many" thread got me thinking.

Where do you plant your heuchera & relatives....

All together, sprinkled throughout the rest of the gardens, in drifts?

Until last year, I had mine planted in drifts among my main hosta bed. 6 here, 10 there, 16 over there.

Then I started a bed just for my babies. All except about 8 that I have in my front bed. But now, my heuchera bed is pretty full with about 50 in it... and I'm landlocked. Playset on one side, walkway on another, patio on the 3rd side and main lawn on the 4th side. And no, I cannot take any more lawn! I've pushed it to even get this area!

So, where are yours?

Comments (18)

  • Cindy
    11 years ago

    Here are a few Ginger Ale, Obsidian and Citronelle 3-4 plants each color grouped, used as a border:

    ^ Caramel, again, in a row along a border

    Hercules in the bottom of the pic (there are 3), then a Miracle (I rarely have 1 plant of a type alone so I don't care for this) 3 Root Beer, 6 Plum Pudding, I believe, then kinda mix Citronelle with a purple (It is night and I don't want to look with a flashlight) Again, a border. I like the formal nature of them in a border.

    And yes, I post on the hosta forum! :)

  • kskaren
    11 years ago

    Mine are used as accessories for my hosta beds, but I didn't plan on falling quite so hard for them! Although I doubt I will have gardens dedicated to just heuchera, I can see they are going to take up more and more space as accessories!

    Karen

  • marquest
    11 years ago

    Mine are mixed in garden beds. My Hosta Garden and my front driveway garden areas. I like to use them to add color to the gardens.

    {{gwi:877004}}

    I saw this pic 7 years ago and I am going to do a garden using this pallet. Using a mixture of ferns and hostas but only light and colored leaf pallet.

    I am thinking of putting a mini-rose in the center. I have 4 acres and developing lots of different garden rooms.

    I think I have more of a Cottage Garden Style I like the full stuffed look. lol I like to see plants flowing over the next "sea of love."

  • marquest
    11 years ago

    Pots, I had a couple in pots last year that I did not get to plant before winter. They look better than the ones in the garden.

    I just laid the plants on their side and they stayed that way all winter.

    If you are tired of buying annuals for pots every year I think these are going to be a good substitute for me for my paito and concrete areas that I usually do annual pots. I am doing mini-hostas, painter's pallet, ferns and Hercs.

  • alina_1
    11 years ago

    I have a very small garden, so my space is limited. I wish I had such lovely spacious beds like on Cindy's pictures. I had to get rid of several under-performers (Miracle, Tiramisu, some lime colored ones).

    {{gwi:222377}}

    {{gwi:201672}}

    {{gwi:201674}}

    {{gwi:201676}}

    I plant Heucheras in combination with my other perennials. Still have some in pots - no room in the garden to plant them and no will power to get rid of lovely varieties. I am going to pot them up like Marquest suggested. Will also add Hostas, ferns and maybe Creeping Jenny to containers.

    {{gwi:225155}}

    Marquest, do you have an idea what potting mix should be used for such perennials containers? I am thinking about adding some pine bark to Miracle Gro potting soil.

  • floota
    11 years ago

    I love the pictures in this thread!Although my main focus is daylilies, I grow about 35 varieties of heuchera, mainly near the garden entrance where they get about half shade.
    This was taken a month ago. Plants have grown huge since then:

    Here's another shot of the entrance a couple of weeks ago:

    I took these a few days ago, I believe these are 'Pistache' and 'Peach Melba.'

    A new one this year that I'm enjoying ( actually it is a heucherella) is 'Sweet Tea.'

  • monet_g
    11 years ago

    Floota, I love the way you have the colors moving through the edges of your beds - Lovely.

    Mine are placed here and there in the beds. However, I'm loving these groupings, too. I think I need to move some around!

    Gail

  • marquest
    11 years ago

    alina, I have 100s of houseplants and I buy a soil by Ohio Earth potting soil it has good drainage and I add 4 month feeding crystals. I think Miracle gro would be good with some bark for drainage.

    Like I said in the winter I lay them on their side and they come back great and bigger. I like the idea of adding jenny to the pots especially with the purple Hercs. Thanks for that suggestion. I am going to stop buying annuals every summer. It is a waste of my money. Some of my pots did not look good until the end of July.

  • Cindy
    11 years ago

    Alina, I like the Shanghi (?) next to the Japanese Painted Fern. The fern really off sets it.

  • anniegolden
    11 years ago

    The pics here are great.Thank you all for posting them.

    Cindy, very beautiful and graceful.
    Alina, I love your various combinations.
    Floota, what gorgeous robust plants.

    Christine

  • anniegolden
    11 years ago

    Mine are accessories. I have some in pots, some in the ground. I'm just learning how to use them. I think they are beautiful with hosta and ferns, great with creeping jenny. IMO heuchera are a garden designer's dream as they play so well with others.

    Palace garden purple around the base of the tree. It's not the star here but I think it makes the hosta shine.

    This grouping is awkward, but I love the colors. Paris and Mocha with Hosta Krossa Regal.

    Christine

  • alina_1
    11 years ago

    Lovely pictures everyone!

    Floota and Cindy, I really like like you planted Heucheras along the edges of your beds!

    Cindy, it is Berry Smoothie next to the fern :)

    Marquest,
    May I ask you why you ay your pots on their sides? What advantage this gives?
    Hope we can share the pictures of our perennial pots with Heuchera next year :) I searched Container Planting forum and did not find many posts on planting Heuchera in pots.

  • marquest
    11 years ago

    Placing the pots on their side they will not rot. They are resting in the winter when we get snow or rain they get moist but not wet enough rot. Too much moisture in the winter and you will get crown rot.

  • redteddy
    11 years ago

    So many beautiful pictures of flower beds!

    I have planted my pretty polly Heucheras all over my garden. I have 3 at the front of my house and 5 in the back and I love them. I cannot wait to get more varieties. They stay a beautiful green all winter and fall and the pink wisps of flower are so elegant I'm happy to see them anywhere.

  • buyorsell888
    11 years ago

    My plants are all woven together like a tapestry of color and texture. I was a floral designer for over twenty years and am anal this way. I move plants around all the time. I cull all the time too.

  • jan_on zone 5b
    11 years ago

    I really admire gardens whose creators have the discipline to plant in groups or drifts of the same cultivar, or have the creativity to keep moving things until they get it right. However I tend to plant only one of each, and to put it wherever there is enough space. In my next life I want to be a designer rather than a collector but for now I'm stuck with too many plants and not enough space and a lengthening wish list! My heuchs, like all the other plants, are just wherever!!!
    Jan

  • irawon
    11 years ago

    I ,too, like the idea of planting heuchs in groupings. However, the reality of cost set in at some point. Therefore, I mostly started to buy one of a kind to experiment with and if it did well I intentded to buy more if it's patented or to divide it if it's not.

    Another thread got me thinking that it's too bad that the heuchera breeders don't do more garden trials before releasing new cultivars, so they can give specific instructions on their requirements for survival.

    I'm with someone else on this forum who stated that he will not buy new introductions until they are proven winners.

    To get bach to the point of this thread, I use heucheras as accessories to other plants such as hostas in the overall garden design.

  • marquest
    11 years ago

    irawon, you readmy rant. I refuse to part with 100s of dollars and they do not survive. If I am buying a perennial I plan on it being just that. I am planning my gardens around color, leaf style etc. So I do not want to waste my time buying a plant that is not going to last but one season. Those are annuals and I pay a lot less than what they are asking for the Hercs.

    I will let others test in their garden. I have 4 acres of land I have to be careful with my money to develop all these gardens. I could end up with plants and lose my house and have no place to plant. lol