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dorry2

Purple Palace Coral Bells

dorry2
18 years ago

Anyone from Maryland have success with this perennial? I purchased several this year for the foilage and oak-like leaves, but the tag says full sun...in my reading, it sounds like these plants do better in shade and moist soil. If I planat these in my west garden, I think they will fry.

Your thoughts?

Comments (10)

  • rosewomann
    18 years ago

    Mine are in moist shade & love it!

    Rose

  • GeeDavey
    18 years ago

    I have 20 or so in moist shade. They are looking great in their second season.

  • laine713
    18 years ago

    Exactly what they said..

  • Brent_In_NoVA
    18 years ago

    I just purchased a 'Palace Purple' at the VA Swap and put it in my shade garden. Last year I planted some Heuchera ('Ruby Bells' maybe...green leaves and red flowers) in a mostly sunny location and they are doing great. I am pretty new to Heuchera but they seem like a wonderful and versatile plant.

    - Brent

  • jerkymom
    18 years ago

    I bought 2 of these 5 years ago from a local nursery. As a gardening newbie at the time, the tag was marked full sun, so I planted them accordingly. The leaves curled up and browned around the edges, becoming shriveled and "crispy". They were well mulched and got plenty of water, but still looked like they were frying. I moved both plants to a location behind my house which gets only about 2 hours of intense afternoon sun before the house shades them (west side), and they've done very well. They've survived some pretty harsh winters here in rural western MD...lol The foliage is now 12" tall and 18" in diameter, so they do seem to grow pretty slowly here, but I like the bronze color and shape of the leaves.

  • cfmuehling
    18 years ago

    I have several and they bore me. Mine are actually in part shade to help them retain their color. Unfortunately, they green up in our heat.

    I did learn, with my 20+ number of Tiarella, Heuchera, and Heucherella, that some do take my Southern Maryland, afternoon full sun. Quicksilver, Green Spice, Amber Waves, SunSpot, San Ginuea, Blackbird, Color of Beauty, Harmonic Convergence, Obsidian, Cancan, Cappuccino and a few that are escaping me.

    I think it's the Heucherella that are strongest.

    I did learn if something's spent 2 years in full sun, don't read that it's a shade plant, panic, dig it up and move it. I lost my Quicksilver, San Ginuea and 2 others that way.

    Oh - my Purple Palace is almost 2.5' tall and about 3' in diameter right now. But then, my Splendens is even bigger. Go figure.

    Christine

  • giverny
    18 years ago

    I don't seem to have luck with Heuchera -- lost 'Silver Scrolls' this year -- I loved the foliage on it. Had it in moist, part sun/shade. Oh well.

  • kidhorn
    18 years ago

    I have several. All in shade. They all do well. Have never tried them in full sun.

  • wardw
    18 years ago

    I've grown Purple Palace for years. It looks good in the spring, especially in contrast with a patch of tiarella brandywine. If I had it to do over again I wouldn't plant it. Its leaves get pretty ratty during the summer, and these days there are other varieties that don't have this liability. On the positive side, the white flowers in late summer are nice. Another issue is it is much too easy to divide in the fall, so it's easy to end up with a lot of it. My problem is that I don't care for the way old clumps of this particular cultivar look, freshly divided plants to me look much nicer, and blend well with other plants like tiarella and geranium pheum

  • Brent_In_NoVA
    18 years ago

    "...and these days there are other varieties that don't have this liability"

    I am a Heuchera newbie, as I planted my first plants last year. I thought that my 'Ruby Bells' looks pretty good all summer and stayed green through most of the winter. It is now one of my few plants in flower. We shall see how my newly planted 'Palace Purple' does. What varieties do you recommend that don't get ratty during the summertime?

    - Brent

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