Characteristics and descriptions of heuchera varieties, planting and care rules

Heuchera is a herbaceous perennial plant of the Saxifraga family. It has very good decorative qualities, so it is an essential part of garden compositions. The main advantage of this plant is its rich foliage. All varieties of decorative heuchera delight with a long flowering period and picturesque foliage of various shapes, shades, and textures.

Peculiarities

Heuchera is native to the forests and mountains of North America. The plant was first described by the German botanist Johann Heinrich von Heicher, who lived in the 17th-18th centuries. Modern breeders have developed many ornamental varieties that have spread throughout the world and are successfully used in decorating gardens and parks.

The color and shape of heuchera leaves are amazing and varied. They are dark, yellow, amber, purple, green. May contain veins, various patterns and inclusions. Red-leaved varieties are often found. The surface of the foliage can be smooth, velvety or corrugated.

The flower outfit of heuchera is no less beautiful. The flowering season is long. The plant produces small bells collected in paniculate inflorescences.

Based on decorative characteristics, two large groups of plants are distinguished:

• decorative flowers are distinguished by the special beauty of their flowering;
• Decorative deciduous trees boast a wide variety of foliage shades.

Main types

Experts know more than 70 varieties of heuchera. Some of them belong to mountain species, the rest of the plants were bred from forest varieties of wild heuchera. The most popular are several types, distinguished by the best decorative qualities:

1. Red heuchera has several varieties, including blood red heuchera, carmine red heuchera, and Purple Palace.
2. Blood red. Its flowers resemble bright red bells. The variety is cold-resistant, therefore it is actively bred in Russia. It has round, jagged leaves with a dense texture.
3. Hybrid. It is a hybrid of blood red and American heuchera. She combined their best qualities.It has large inflorescences of white pink or coral shades.
4. Purple Palace. A variety of red heuchera, it has beautiful leaves of deep red shades. It is very unpretentious, therefore it is often used by landscape design specialists.
5. Small-flowered. It has the best decorative properties. It has beautiful carved leaves painted silver or purple. Small pink flowers are united in inflorescences in the form of elongated panicles.
6. Heuchera Starburst (Old Castle) is actively planted due to its rich color palette. It is unpretentious and pleases the eye throughout the warm season. Combines well with dwarf shrubs to create garden compositions.
7. Green. Has foliage in all shades of green. The Sasha variety is very popular, with lace-like olive-colored leaves.
8. Hairy. Large leaves and flower stalks have a velvety surface.
9. Heuchera Rio. It has elegant leaves of cream and yellow color. The plant blooms in mid-summer. It is an original decoration for a flower bed, therefore it is often used by gardeners and landscaping professionals.

Specifics of growing crops

There are two ways to plant heuchera on your site: by growing a seedling from seeds or purchasing it in a specialized store. For better growth, emerging flower stalks of decorative deciduous varieties are cut off. In decorative flowering varieties, the peduncles are removed after the end of the flowering period.

Sowing seeds

Long-term storage of planting material affects germination, so only the freshest seeds should be taken for sowing. They are sown shallowly in prepared soil, sprinkled thoroughly. This method has a right to exist, although it does not ensure the preservation of the species qualities of the mother plants.There is a high probability of obtaining specimens without unique decorative properties.

Seedling

The method of growing seedlings is more reliable. This is done indoors or in a special greenhouse. After the sprouts have grown stronger, they are planted in open ground. To do this, make holes up to 4 centimeters deep, maintaining a distance of 20-25 centimeters. The soil must be thoroughly loosened and moistened. Normally, seedlings appear one and a half months after planting.

What is the best time to plant

Seedlings are planted in the ground at the end of March. In this case, choose a place depending on the type of heuchera:

1. Varieties with bright red foliage do well in full sun and become even more attractive. They can be planted on the south side, subject to regular watering.
2. Varieties with foliage of delicate colors are suitable for the eastern or western side, where there is shade or diffused lighting.

Preparing a permanent location

In order for the decorative qualities of the plant to fully develop, it is recommended to plant it in fertile, loose soil. It is important that a neutral or slightly alkaline pH balance (5-6 units) be maintained. In acidic soil, the plant begins to get sick and dies. The soil should be moisture-absorbing, but moisture stagnation at the roots should also not be allowed. When preparing holes, you should create a drainage layer of 3-5 mm.

Transplantation into open ground

After placing the seedlings in open ground, you need to regularly loosen and moisten it. A sufficient amount of air and moisture at the roots is an important condition for successful growth. But you can’t plant the plant in a swampy area. Contact with water will lead to root rotting, disease and loss of decorative qualities.

Care Tips

Heuchera is an unpretentious plant.Planted in suitable soil quality, in an area with sufficient sunlight, it requires minimal care.

Watering the crop

The bush should be watered regularly. By checking the condition of the soil, they conclude that it needs to be moistened again. During hot periods, water the bushes every other day, thoroughly moistening the soil in the planting area. The plant should not be over-watered to prevent rotting of the roots.

Plant nutrition

The plant does not require frequent feeding, since in its natural environment it grows in the poor soil of mountainous areas. Fertilizing should begin a year after planting in the ground. Depending on the variety of heuchera, mineral fertilizer is used for deciduous or flowering plants.

Fertilizing is applied twice a season - before and after the flowering period, in moderate quantities. The solution is made less concentrated than recommended by the manufacturer.

Pruning rules

Heuchera is an evergreen crop, so it does not require pre-winter pruning. Old, wilted leaves keep roots warm during winter frosts. They are removed after wintering, cutting them closer to the soil surface. Peat with humus is added under the bushes (mulched).

How to prepare a plant for winter

For the winter, the bushes are covered using spruce branches or rotted oak leaves. In order to remove the protective cover, they wait until the ground completely thaws and warms up.

Protection from diseases and pests

Heuchera is not susceptible to disease. The condition of the plant worsens in the presence of provoking factors - prolonged contact of roots with water or excessive mineralization of the soil. The most common diseases are:

• powdery mildew;
• gray rot;
• spotting;
• rust.

The plant is treated with fungicidal preparations: Bordeaux mixture (a solution of copper sulfate in lime milk), Fundazol, Fitosporin - M. Dangerous pests include grape snails, caterpillars, slugs, and leaf parasites. For protection, insecticide treatment is used.

It is very useful to regularly hill up the bushes. Then the upper exposed part of the roots will be reliably covered from environmental influences.

Reproduction methods

At the age of 3-4 years, heuchera bushes need rejuvenation. If this is not done, their ability to resist parasites and diseases will deteriorate, and winter hardiness will decrease..

Rejuvenation is carried out by dividing and replanting bushes. The procedure is carried out in late spring or early autumn. Divide the bush into parts, ensuring each has 2-3 rosettes. At the same time, the roots are cleaned of rotten areas. The resulting children are seated in holes located at a distance of 30 centimeters. Water the plants abundantly and mulch them. Rooting of young heuchera occurs within a month.

Reproduction by cuttings is also used. Cuttings are cut from the parent plant and rooted in greenhouses, planted in a peat-sand mixture. Waiting for the roots of a new plant to form.

Problems that gardeners encounter when growing

In order to planting and caring for garden heuchera successful, the rules must be carefully followed. Otherwise, the flower will begin to hurt and may die.

1. Having purchased seedlings, it is recommended to plant them in the ground as soon as possible. In the dry air of a city apartment, the sprouts will quickly die.
2. It is necessary to clearly regulate the optimal amount of liquid when watering. A deficiency will lead to wilting of the leaves, and flooding will result in the death of the roots.
3. The absence of a drainage layer in the holes can lead to stagnation of liquid and rotting of the roots.
4. To preserve their decorative properties, it is important that plants are planted in fertile soil.

Following the rules of care and planting are necessary conditions for heuchera bushes to grow healthy and picturesque. Well-groomed plants will delight their owners with bright, elegant foliage for many years.