Heucherella
Encyclopedia
Heucherella is a perennial flowering plant that is a hybrid of Heuchera
Heuchera
The genus Heuchera includes at least 50 species of herbaceous perennial plants in the family Saxifragaceae, all native to North America. Common names include alumroot and coral bells. They have palmately lobed leaves on long petioles, and a thick, woody rootstock...

and Tiarella.

There are several different kinds of Heucherella plants depending on the parentage of the Heuchera and the Tiarella and they all have different characteristics. All Heucherella bloom in mid spring and are best grown in well drained soil in light shade (Clarity Connect, Inc.)

History of Heucherella

Heucherella are "man-made" plants and are sterile so don't produce seeds. They are made by hand crossing a Heuchera with a Tiarella. “Generally the plants are intermediate to the two genera, but in the eastern United States Heucherella have cultural requirements more like those of Tiarella” (Clarity Connect, Inc.)

The first Heucherella was bred in France in 1912 by Emile Lemoine. He crossed his Heuchera 'Brizoides' with Tiarella cordifolia. This plant was later called Heucherella tiarelloides. It received an AGM (Award of Garden Merit) from the Royal Horticultural Society eighty one years later in 1993. 'Bridget Bloom' was bred in 1950s by Percy Piper, at the suggestion of Alan Bloom. It is a cross between a Heuchera 'Freedom' with pink flowers and a Tiarella wherryi. It was brought to Blooms of Bressingham in 1955 and had the market to itself until 1983, which was when 'Rosalie' appeared (Kemper, William T.) These two flowers have pink petals, that look a lot like the Heuchera and Tiarella, and some reddish purple markings on their dark, green leaves. Around 1987 the 'Tinian Pink', and the 'Tinian White' were both created by Charles Oliver of the Primrose Path. These go by the names 'Pink Frost' and 'Snow White' in the trade. After all that, people have been looking for possible new combinations and making new Heucherellas.

Where a Heucherella grows well depends on its breeding lines. “Heucherellas grow most vigorously and have the strongest colors when grown in partial shade (preferably afternoon shade). They can also be grown in full shade but their growth rate will be very slow” (Calhoun, Amy). Heucherella grow in USDA Zones 4-9. In the milder zones they are evergreen.

Characteristics

Heucheralla can have amazing foliage colors from the Heuchera parents and the dark leaf patterns and cut leaf shapes of the Tiarella parents. They are often called by their botanical name Heucherella, but the common name is Foamy Bells because of the foamlike flowers. Most of the time, Heucherella bloom in the spring. Flowers may be white, pink or cream colored.

Most Heucherella form clumps or small mounds of evergreen foliage with upright flower stalks that can be anywhere from 8 to 24 inches long. The newer Heucherella form large clumps or even trail. Most Heucherella prefer to be in part shade, though the newer ones are more sun tolerant. They prefer well-drained organic soils and to be watered regularly. They send up new growth every year in the spring. They make their best color displays in the cool seasons of spring or fall if they are of the colorful leaf type. They should be divided every three to four years. They have few pests and diseases if grown in good soil in the proper conditions.

Use them as ground cover underneath a shrub like dogwood or beautyberry, or plant them “with hostas, ferns, astilbes, coral bells, and other shade perennials” (Grower Cultural Sheet.) They also grow beautifully with Barrenwort, Bleeding Hearts, Japanese Painted Fern, Jacob's Ladder, Lamium, Lungwort, or Solomon's Seal. Heucherella are often used as ground covers, for edging plants, used in shade gardens, or put in large containers so that they can brighten up shady areas (Little Heath Farm Nursery.)

Heucherella 'Alabama Sunrise'

This Heucherella plant is called 'Alabama Sunrise'. It has Heuchera villosa breeding and is more heat and drought tolerant than some. It grows pretty well in hot, steamy summers. It grows fairly large and has brilliantly colored leaves. The leaves turn gold with red veining in the spring; this color stays for most of the summer, but later on turns green but keeps the red veining. Small white flowers grow around the late spring and stay till early summer. Around the fall and winter, the leaves turn a warm shade of orange-pink. They usually grow up to 12 inches tall, and spread along the ground about 20 inches wide at the least. Used best in rock gardens, open woodland gardens, border fronts, wild gardens or naturalized plantings. They don’t have serious insect or disease problems, but you do want to watch out for soil that’s not drained well.
It was bred by Janet Egger for Terra Nova Nurseries. It has a US Plant Patent.

Heucherella 'Burnished Bronze'

This Heucherella plant has the cultivar name “Burnished Bronze.” These usually grow to a medium size with divided leaves and is colored a glossy, burnished bronze. Small, starry light pink flowers appear in late spring. It grows best in rock gardens, open woodland gardens, border fronts, wild gardens or naturalized plantings. They usually grow up to 10 inches high and spread about 15 inches along the ground. They don’t have serious insect or disease problems, but you do want to watch out for soil that’s not drained well.
It was bred by Dan Heims at Terra Nova Nurseries. It has a US Plant Patent.

Heucherella 'Kimono'

This Heucherella, is called 'Kimono' and it has two different sets of leaves. Around the spring they have green leaves that look like little kimonos with reddish purple markings with its wrinkled texture. When summer comes around, they grow a new set of leaves which are bigger and more round that turn a copper-rose early fall throughout winter. It grows delicate cream-colored flowers late in the spring that grow about 9 to 10 inches high, and spread 12 inches along the ground. They’re used best in rock gardens, open woodland gardens, border fronts, wild gardens or naturalized plantings. They don’t have serious insect or disease problems, but you do want to watch out for soil that’s not drained well. It was bred by Terra Nova Nurseries. It has a US Plant Patent. Parentage: H ‘Green Spice’ x T ‘Pink Pendant’.

Heucherella 'Stoplight'

There’s a reason they call this Heucherella 'Stoplight', because most stop dead in their tracks when they see it. This Heucherella has sunny yellow leaves with dark red blotches at the center that spreads out through the veins. It has white flowers that grow in late spring that can grow up to 12 inch tall stalks and can spread 6 to 10 inches. Used best in rock gardens, open woodland gardens, border fronts, wild gardens or naturalized plantings. They don’t have serious insect or disease problems, but you do want to watch out for soil that’s not drained well.
It was bred by Janet Egger for Terra Nova Nurseries. It has a US Plant Patent.

Heucherella 'Sunspot'

This Heucherella call 'Sunspot' easily grows well in well drained soils in half shade to all shade, but does best in moist, organic soils and is partly shady. It has pink flowers in spikes with just a hint of pale lilac on their petals, and heart-shaped leaves that all have yellow centers. They flower in spring. It can grow 6 inches tall and can spread about 12 inches. This Heucherella attracts slugs and snails and they can cause a lot of damage quickly. This plant is best used with other small plants for shady borders, in rock gardens, or as an edging plant. It is a mutation of Heucherella 'Dayglow Pink' and is from Terra Nova Nurseries. It has a US Plant Patent.

Heucherella 'Bridget Bloom'

The “Bridget bloom” grows best in drained soil and full sun; though prefers partly shady in the hot summers. Too much water can kill “Bridget blooms” but shouldn’t be allowed to dry out.
It has clumps of hairy, toothed, heart-shaped leaves where tiny, pinkish, bell-shaped flowers grow from, in late spring. This plant can grow from 12 to 18 inches high. It has a habit of blooming in the fall and it evergreen places with warm winters. Used best in rock gardens, open woodland gardens, border fronts, wild gardens or naturalized plantings. They don’t have serious insect or disease problems, but you do want to watch out for soil that’s not drained well.

Heucherella 'Dayglow Pink'

This Heucherella grows to a small clump. It has tiny, star-shaped bright pink flowers, and has maple-like green leaves and its veining is chocolate brown color; it usually blooms in late spring to mid-summer. It grows 15 to 20 inches tall and spreads 5 to 8 inches wide. In cold winter climates, mulching freezing ground will help prevent root heaving. These are best used for rock gardens, borders, along paths, or walkways. It was bred by Terra Nova Nurseries.

Heucherella 'Quicksilver'

This Heucherella is best to grow in rich, drained soils in full sun to part shade; but looks best in the sun color can show up in sunny spots with part afternoon shade. If it’s grown with full sun, then it needs to be watered often, in not then the leaves will crumble and wither away. The stems with dead flowers need to be cut off so that other flowers will be able to bloom. It has round bronze leaves and a silver overlay, and tiny, bell-shaped white flowers that bloom from late spring to midsummer. This plan is usually evergreen in places with warm winter, but its color depends on how brutal its temperature gets. They usually grow up to 18 inches tall and spread over 20 inches on the ground. It’s best to divide and replant it in the spring every 3 to 4 years. They don’t have serious insect or disease problems, but you do want to watch out for soil that’s not drained well. Best used for rock gardens, borders, along paths, or walkways.

Heucherella 'Strike It Rich'

This Heucherella is known as 'Strike It Rich'. It is a synonym for 'Goldstrike'. It should be grown in rich, drained soils in full sun to part shade. Does well in full sun but prefers some shade; if grown in full sun, then it needs to be watered a lot. It has light, pink flowers and silver-green leaves with purple veining in the shape of maple leaves. Can grow up 8 to 14 inches and can spread around 14 inches on the ground in late spring to early-summer. They don’t have serious insect or disease problems, but you do want to watch out for soil that’s not drained well. They are often used for rock gardens, borders, along paths, and walkways.
It was bred by Gary Gossett for Terra Nova Nurseries. It has a US Plant Patent under PP17634.

Heucherella 'Heart of Darkness'

One of the most popular Heucherellas is the “Heart of Darkness.” This plant, it should be given rich, moist soil in light shade. The color of this plant is green, but every leaf has a dark maroon spot bordered by silver-gray. But when “Heart of Darkness” is widespread, then there is only a little light green on the leaves. In the spring it has spikes of pure white flowers that grow about 24 inches high. An exceptional candidate for woodland gardens and understory plantings for unique foliage effects when little else is blooming. They don’t have serious insect or disease problems, but you do want to watch out for soil that’s not drained well. They are often used for rock gardens, borders, along paths, and walkways (Monrovia Horticultural craftsmen since 1926.)

Heucherella 'Tapestry'

This Heucherella, with the cultivar name 'Tapestry', needs to be grown in rich, drained soils in part shade. The leaves are blue green and dark in the center; in spring and summer and change to green with dark centers in fall and winter. This plant has dazzling “multicolored and veiled foliage with free flowering stems of warm pink flowers.” (Calhoun, Amy.)It grows well in the Northwest as well as the in the south. It was bred by Janet Egger for Terra Nova Nurseries. It has a US Plant Patent.

Heucherella 'Gold Strike' see 'Strike it Rich'

Heucherella 'Gold Strike' is the original name of 'Strike it Rich'. It was bred by Terra Nova Nurseries but put on the market as 'Strike it Rich'.

Heucherella 'Gold Zebra' (was 'Golden Zebra')

This Heucherella is best grown in rich, well drained soils in part shade to shade. Bright yellow, feathery-like leaves are marked with dark-red veins. It blooms beautiful, delicate white flowers in late spring, to the end of summer. They don’t have serious insect or disease problems, but you do want to watch out for soil that’s not drained well. They are often used for rock gardens, borders, along paths, and walkways. Introduced by Terra Nova Nurseries.

Heucherella 'Pink Whisper'

This Heucherella, is called “Pink Whisper” and should be given rich, moist soil in light shade. They have maple shaped leaves that are green and have deep red veining with pink flowers that bloom in April throughout summer that grow about 9 to 10 inches high, and spread 12 inches along the ground. They’re used best in rock gardens, open woodland gardens, border fronts, wild gardens or naturalized plantings. They don’t have serious insect or disease problems, but you do want to watch out for soil that’s not drained well.

Heucherella 'Sweet Tea'

This colorful Heucherella with the cultivar name 'Sweet Tea' has big, maple-shaped leaves that are cinnamon colored in the spring and fall. It has Heuchera villosa breeding and will grow well in the heat and humidity of the South as well as the cooler climate of the Northwest. They should be given rich, moist soil in light shade. They have white flowers from early spring to late in the fall. They grow about 20 inches tall and spread about 28 inches wide. They’re used best in shade gardens with Hosta, open woodland gardens, border fronts, and wild gardens. They don’t have serious insect or disease problems, but you do want to watch out for soil that’s not drained well. (Wayside Garden.) Bred by Janet Egger for Terra Nova Nurseries.

Heucherella 'Viking Ship'

The 'Viking Ship' needs to have rich, moist soil in light shade. This plant has silvery, maple shaped leaves and star-shaped coral-pink flowers spires that bloom well into the season. “Viking Ship” has two different sets of leaves, the spring leaves that are silvery-green and matches with the coral-pink flowers. By summer, the bigger, silvered, maple-like leaves grow in instead. The “Viking Ship” can grow up to 6 inches and spread around 12 inches. They’re used best in rock gardens, open woodland gardens, border fronts, wild gardens or naturalized plantings. They don’t have serious insect or disease problems, but you do want to watch out for soil that’s not drained well.

Heucherella 'Fan Dancer'

Another rare version of the Heucherella is 'Fan Dancer'. It’s a newer form of Heucherella and has deep green leaves that have black and silver overlaid over them. It has tall white flowers that bloom from April to May, and can bloom again in the fall. During the winter, it’s evergreen as long as it’s in a place with warm winters. It grows to 20 inches tall and spreads around 30 inches wide. They’re used best in open woodland gardens, border fronts, wild gardens or naturalized plantings. They don’t have serious insect or disease problems, but you do want to watch out for soil that’s not drained well. It was bred by Janet Egger for Terra Nova Nurseries.

External links

.

.

.

.

. 2001-2010. Web. 8 March 2010.

.

.

.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK