If this was your yard, where would you put these Heuchera?

9 years ago

I ordered 5 Heuchera/Heucherella:
-Georgia Peach
-Delta Dawn
-Southern Comfort
-Solar Eclipse
- Fire Frost

I also ordered 2 Helleborus WT Wedding Ruffles. Basically I had been working to turn this weedy dirt pit that did nothing but help track mud into my kitchen into a Japanese-inspired shade garden. But after putting in my ground cover recently, I realized once it fills in, and the dull dirt is covered, my ferns, moss, hosta, trillium etc. will all just blend in to the sea of green (at least, I hope the ground cover becomes a sea of green).

So for a pop of color I found Heuchera thinking to put some near the center, by the apple tree trunk, and also in the back Left corner which is nothing but mulch and gets no sun after early AM (actually not in the "yard" but right back next to the chain link fence beyond the last azalea). But after trying to research the specific characteristics of each, I'm more confused about where they would best show.

The yard gets early morning sun for one or two hours (in winter, it's more like 3 hours). Then dappled shade through about 3pm, with the back/south side getting stronger sun than the front/north near my patio. The picture was taken facing South. I will post a second photo showing the afternoon sunlight.

What would you do? (I also need to fit in those 2 hellebore).

Thanks for your ideas!

This post was edited by brooklynbonnie on Tue, Jun 24, 14 at 0:24

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Comments (12)

brooklynbonnie
Original Author
9 years ago
Here's what it looks like on a sunny afternoon. There are a lot of weeds in these pictures still as I had not finished putting in the ground cover plugs or weeding between the ferns and around the apple tree...
flower_frenzy
9 years ago
Hi bonnie. I grow all 5 of the heuchera that you purchased. Out of those, 'Fire Frost' and 'Southern Comfort' would need the most shade. SC hates it (at least in my garden) if it gets sun much past 10:30 am. The other 3 can take quite a bit of sun, although it sounds like nothing in that area will be getting a ton of it.

'Georgia Peach' and 'Southern Comfort' get the largest out of the 5. In my garden, they're both about 14" tall and about 18" across. They both have large leaves as well, along with 'Delta Dawn', whereas the other 2 are smaller with smaller leaves.

Keep in mind that none of them grow much taller that 12-14", so you'll probably want to put them near the front of the bed (whichever way you view it from). They'll all be stand-outs in your "sea of green" due to their bright colors. SC, GP and DD are particularly bright.

Make sure your bed has good drainage. Heuchera hate to have wet feet and tend to get crown rot and rust if they sit in too much water.
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flower_frenzy
9 years ago
I don't know if some pictures of my grown up plants might help, but here they are. Hopefully it'll give you a better picture in your mind as to where they might look best.

First up is 'Southern Comfort'.
flower_frenzy
9 years ago
This is 'Delta Dawn' at the beginning of spring.
flower_frenzy
9 years ago
This is how 'Delta Dawn' looks today.
flower_frenzy
9 years ago
Here's 'Georgia Peach'. It's somewhat brighter than this. The lighting was weird that day. Also, it's more upright during the beginning of spring, but spreads out later on.
flower_frenzy
9 years ago
Here's an interesting picture of 'Solar Eclipse'. The bright green is the new spring growth, while the dark burgundy is the previous year's growth.

This post was edited by flower-frenzy on Tue, Jun 24, 14 at 1:40
flower_frenzy
9 years ago
I hope I've helped you. I don't have a picture of 'Fire Frost', as it's brand new to me this year and is still smallish.
brooklynbonnie
Original Author
9 years ago
Definitely a help, flower-frenzy! It's good to hear first-hand experience of their size and habits to give me an idea how big they'll get/spread out if I'm lucky. I also now know that Solar Eclipse's older foliage may blend into the ground a bit if it's left as dirt.

Many thanks for all that!
flower_frenzy
9 years ago
Happy to help. Best of luck with your new garden!
brooklynbonnie
Original Author
9 years ago
I just brought home Plum Pudding and Blue Ridge today too. Oh boy I am so addicted already!
southerngardening24
9 years ago
That bed will be completely full of plants before you know it lol ! I am doing the same thing with the heucheras. I expanded a shade bed with heuchera and now am waiting on my next (hopefully last) shipment of more heuchera and a few other plants for this season. Not all of these have a spot yet but I'm sure I can make room.

You will love it when they increase in size next year! It should be really pretty!