Beauty, Purpose, & Joy in One Plant: Heuchera!

Notable Natives For Cape Cod

Color, pollinator support, and a low-maintenance perennial: these are the qualities that the notable natives in the genus Heuchera bring to your garden. These plants are commonly called coral bells because of the color of the flowers on some varieties of Heuchera villosa. But no matter what the bloom color or the species, these semi-evergreen plants are all native to North America and they bring so much to our landscapes.

Beautiful Foliage

There are varieties of Heuchera with green, purple, burgundy, caramel, golden, and lime colored leaves. These are useful in a landscape because they bring color and contrast to gardens from early spring through early winter. Plant Heucheras in shade, part-shade, or part-sun, and they are perfect for the well-drained soils of Cape Cod. For the best design and impact, place them in groups of three or five, and for the most weed-discouraging grouping, space those plants about 18″ center to center.

Supporting Pollinators

One of the pleasures of planting Heuchera is knowing that the flowers are attractive to hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. Many varieties will continue flowering through most of the summer if the old flower stems are promptly removed. In addition to supporting pollinators, a grouping of Heuchera covers bare soil around taller perennials and shrubs. Such groups stop erosion on slopes and create areas where you don’t have to apply mulch, since the Heuchera foliage is usually thick enough to prevent weeds from taking hold.

Color For Shady Gardens

Let’s face it: those with full sun landscapes have access to far more flowering plants than people who have shade gardens. So plants with colorful foliage that thrive in shade and part-shade are especially appreciated. Tip for planting Heuchera: spread a one to two inch layer of compost over the entire area where you’ll be growing your Heucheras. Some of this will get mixed into the ground when you dig holes and place the plants in the ground, and the rest will amend from the top down. Spread an inch of mulch over the area to suppress weeds while the Heuchera gets established, and in the future a light application of compost in the spring or fall will help keep the soil and plants healthy.

Changing Color From Season to Season

One thing that we love about many Heucheras is that they change foliage color from spring to fall. Early in the season many of these plants have brighter colors, and these often deepen over the summer and into fall. Gardeners also appreciate how the foliage looks when the first frosts hit; the beauty of the colorful leaves dusted with frost crystals helps us to celebrate winter’s arrival.

Shop For Heucheras In Spring, Summer or Fall

Because these plants are so cold-tolerant as well as beautiful, you can find them at Hyannis Country Garden throughout the planting season. Look for them under the Perennial Shade Frame in spring and summer, and as small plant-me-in-the-fall perennials among our autumnal selection up front late in the season.

How Do We Say It?

You may have heard me say that in horticulture there are no wrong pronunciations, only wrong spellings. So go ahead and pronounce “Heuchera” as you will, knowing that we’ll understand what you want. Most plant geeks say “hugh-ker-ah,” not “hugh-cheer-a,” since in botanical names a “ch” is pronounced with a “k” sound. But just as a rose by any other name will smell as sweet, a Heuchera pronounced with cheer will be a native plant that brings beauty, purpose and joy to your landscape.