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cerulean_blue_gw

Too much sun?

cerulean_blue
10 years ago

I bought a beautiful red heuchera at my favorite garden center. The colors of the leaves have changed, they are mostly green and more of a rust. The area of the bed gets afternoon sun and is right near the window so we can (hopefully) see the lovely hummers who drink the nectar.

Is it getting too much sun? Do I need to move it, or is the plant just settling in? It's been raining constantly in the Northeast, so no problem about watering.

Comments (5)

  • flower_frenzy
    10 years ago

    It's hard to say, but unless you have crispy, burnt leaves I wouldn't guess that the problem is too much sun. More than likely, the heuchera is just getting a mid-summer green look to it. A lot of mine look greener in the middle of the growing season and are at their best and brightest in spring and fall. Do you remember the name of the heuchera you bought?

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    10 years ago

    Red/purple or dark leaved heucheras are generally extremely sun tolerant. In my area, these are recommended for full sun (in most cases heucheras, like hellebores, are only shade tolerant, not necessarily shade lovers). Often, insufficient amounts of sunlight on any red-leaved plant will cause it to "green out" - you see this with smoke bush, loropetalum, Japanese maples and heucheras :-)

    But it does make a difference what cultivar we are referring to - some just hold their foliage color better than others.

    FWIW, the only heucheras that require much shade in my area are those that have the chartreuse or lime green coloring or very pale yellow (sometimes with darker markings). These DO tend to scorch in much sun.

  • cerulean_blue
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    No burnt leaves. However, now the leaves are somewhat holey. My mother-in-law will take a leaf to a garden center to see what's eating my plant. I love this plant but am not optimistic about its longevity. I hope it holds out. I will see if I can find out what's eating it and deal with it.

    I'm not sure what the name is, I will see if I can find the plant care card or have her ask at the garden center. I hope the plant lasts until I return from my trip!

    Thank you both for responding!

  • kar3n_1407
    10 years ago

    I purchased several 'Palace Purple Select' Coral Bells from my local nursery about two months ago. The plant tag reads "exposure - plant in sun or partial shade". The front of our home faces south and gets sun for a very good portion of the day. All of my plants have leaves that appear to be scorched - some almost completely burned. We did have some very hot days in NJ a few weeks ago with very little to no rain and I was negligent in watering. Could one or both factors be the cause? Do I need to relocate the plants to a shadier spot? Thank you for any suggestions.

  • flower_frenzy
    10 years ago

    In answer to your question, here's another question! Lol. Are you watering the plants adequately? I find 'Palace Purple' (along with most dark-leaved heuchera) to be extremely sun tolerant and have many of mine in full, hot afternoon sun. The only time I get leaf scorch is when I don't water them enough.

    You also mentioned that you purchased the plants only 2 months ago. This would mean that they weren't established going into the heat of summer. Plants that aren't established dry out much faster than established ones. If I plant something near summertime, I have to water it at least every other day to make sure it doesn't dry up and croak. Again, more water is your answer here.

    If you give them extra water and they perk up, they may just reward you with a new flush of leaves. If not, don't despair. As long as they haven't died, they'll look better next year and won't be prone to drying out as quickly.

    This post was edited by flower-frenzy on Mon, Aug 19, 13 at 18:57

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