Heucheras
If you are looking for a low maintenance plant to add to your garden then check out these hardy heuchera plants.
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Reliable perennials, coral bells are most well-known for their deep-purple foliage and tiny, bell-shaped flowers. Looking for a hardy, pest-resistant, drought-tolerant plant that can handle sun or shade, has an extended blooming period and comes in a whole range of colors? If you answered yes, you've been saved by coral bells (Heuchera).
Contrast can make a garden really interesting, and one plant family that offers lots of contrast is Heuchera. These ever-reliable plants are the subject of cutting-edge breeding programs that are responsible for introducing the world to never-before-seen foliage colors and characteristics. Heuchera breeder Dan Heims discuss the magic behind these magnificent perennials.
These plants come in a variety of colors, including bronze. "What bronze foliage does in the landscape is to create a new dimension," says Heims. "If you place a bronze plant with green plants, the contrast gives you a certain depth and interest, drawing your eye."
Bronze is just the beginning when it comes to Heuchera color possibilities. At Heims' testing ground, there are some 50,000 field plants, and only one or maybe two of those plants will meet the rigorous requirements necessary to make it to the tissue-culture lab. There, genetically superior plants are divided and grown in petri dishes before being transplanted into potting soil. The result of this work are healthy Heuchera selections in a dazzling display of new colors, flowers and shapes.
"We're using all sorts of fabulous purples, and we're getting ruffle colors, blacks, amazing silvers, and of course we're combining some great flowers with great foliage so you get more in the same plant," Heims says.
Coral bells are versatile in climate as well as color. Many are hardy to USDA Zone 3, and if you're running out of patches of sun in your garden for planting, don't worry: Many varieties, such as this 'Green Spice', are made for the shade.
"My best recommendation is to check the label when you buy the plant, and that'll explain what kind of light it wants," says Heims.
As your coral bells grow and mature, you might notice that the middle sections of your plants will start to look a little ratty. This is a sign that the plant needs more growing space.
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