Heuchera is a representative of the Saxifraga family, a herbaceous plant with an original leaf color. The second name is mountain undergrowth. Heuchera is native to Mexico and North America. In Russian natural and climatic conditions, the plant confidently acclimatized and gained popularity among landscape designers. How to properly prepare Heuchera for the difficult Russian winter is a question that often worries gardeners.
In what cases is it necessary to cover a plant for the winter?
Heuchera is a relatively frost-resistant plant.In the southern regions, there is no need to carry out any preparatory measures for the cold season. In central Russia, the bush should be closed. In winters with little snow, the root system may suffer and freeze.
Important! If in winter the air temperature drops below minus 10 degrees, then it is recommended to cover the heuchera bushes.
With the onset of spring warmth, additional shelters are removed, the heuchera is cleaned of last year's dried leaves and mineral supplements are applied. Young bushes are hilled and mulched with peat or humus. It is not recommended to use fresh manure; the plant may become sick and burn.
Pruning heuchera for the winter
Whether to prune a bush for the winter is a controversial issue. Gardeners are guided by personal experience. The leaves of the plant should not be removed; the flowering stems should be trimmed. The remaining foliage will protect the bush from frost in winter. After the end of the flowering process, the remaining flower stalks are no longer needed, they only take away strength, and besides, the bush quickly loses its decorative shape. Pruning heuchera is necessary to maintain the exquisite beautiful appearance of the plantings and to save the energy of the North American beauty before winter.
For some species and varieties, flower stalks are pruned before flowering. The buds and flowers of these plants do not always look attractive, and, according to landscape designers, they spoil the bush.
The main advantage of the North American beauty is its decorative, expressive leaves of unusual color and shape.
Shelter for the winter
The root system does not go deep into the ground, it is located close to the surface, therefore, in order to avoid freezing, the plant is covered for the winter with various additional shelters:
- dried forest moss;
- fallen leaves;
- straw;
- sawdust;
- polymer covering material.
The basic rule is that the bush must “breathe”.Do not cover the roots with film covers, this can cause rotting or fungal infection.
Covering the bushes with sphagnum will preserve the root system and create additional antibacterial protection; in addition, the remains of dead moss serve as an excellent organic fertilizer. Before preparing for the winter, the bushes are hilled.
Features of wintering heuchera in different regions
The set of care measures depends on the place of planting and growth. In warm regions with a southern climate it winters easily, without shelter. Natural defense is withered leaves. In central Russia, in the Moscow region, Siberia, in areas with a difficult and harsh climate and little snowy winters, shelters are mandatory as preparation for cold weather. There are varieties with increased frost resistance that can withstand bitter frosts of -40 0C. For example, Forever Purple, Blood Red, Gooseberry Leaf and others.
Further care after winter
With the first rays of the spring sun, the bushes awaken. It is necessary to clear the bushes of last year's leaves, remove shelters for the winter, water with warm water and feed the awakened bushes. You should not overuse fertilizers; heuchera is used to growing on poor rocky soils. The concentration of mineral complexes can be underestimated by two times.
Every spring, plants are sprayed against pests and fungal diseases, and sprinkled with wood ash. The bushes can be mulched with humus and a mixture of peat and sand after hilling the plantings.
Powdery mildew is the main disease of Heuchera. In April, preventive treatment of bushes is carried out with Bordeaux mixture. To improve the brightness of the leaves, plants are sprayed with a solution of brilliant green in the ratio: 10 drops of the product per 10 liters of water.Heuchera is propagated by seeds, cuttings or by dividing an adult bush. Young seedlings are planted in the ground in the spring, when the soil and air temperatures are above +12 0The threat of frost has passed. The plant is planted with seeds for seedlings in early March. It is not recommended to plant young bushes in the fall, before winter.
Possible difficulties
A correctly selected variety and systematic care reduce the risk of growing failures to zero. Nuances of plant care:
- Planted on the western or eastern side of the garden plot. To improve the brightness of the leaves, good lighting of the bush is necessary.
- Do not allow moisture to stagnate at the roots. It is better to skip watering than to overwater the plant.
- Do not make unnecessary plant transplants, the heuchera will take a long time to get sick and grow; only adult bushes with a formed root system are replanted.
- Some varieties need shade.
- In the middle zone, plants should overwinter under shelters.
- Soils are chosen with an alkaline reaction.
- The best neighbors are shade-tolerant plants.
In order for heuchera to become a decoration for your garden plot, you need to choose the right place and choose a flower arrangement. Landscape designers often plant various varieties and types heuchera together, plants with different leaf colors go well together. The North American beauty decorates and complements the alpine slides and looks elegant Heuchera in a single planting.
Varieties with bright colors are suitable for decorating the edges of flower beds and borders, planting bushes along garden paths and decorating raised vegetable beds.
By following the rules of care and listening to the advice of landscape designers, you can create unusually bright and beautiful flower beds on your site.Heuchera will not produce beautiful flowers, but it will diversify flower plantings with beautifully shaped leaves with an unusual color.
