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deshima

Do you have Heuchera Caramel?

19 years ago

I have heard mixed reviews as to H.Caramel. It is new to the US market, and I have not heard how it is doing in any given climate or the amount of sun it needs for best foliage. The only fist hand comments I have heard are negative, but the parentage is excellent so I would suppose it should be doing very well. If you have installed this plant for any amount of time please let me know what you think of it.

Comments (17)

  • 19 years ago

    Actually reputed to be one of the best gold leaved forms and an especially robust grower. It hasn't been around long enough to develop much of a track record here, but the plants I've brought in at my nursery are very impressive. In growth, color and habit, it appears very similar to 'Marmalade', another good golden form. In my climate, gold or orange leaved heucheras develop the best coloring in more sun than shade and grow very happily and well in full sun with adequate moisture. YMMV

  • 19 years ago

    Second year here.
    Planted in two locations:
    a) one-two hours of early morning sun, open, but not bright shade thereafter.
    New foliage emerging orange-yellow with redish undersides and fading to light olive/khaki green. Not very showy, but still provide nice contrast against my cedar mulch.
    b) three to four hours of early morning sun and bright shade till 2pm.
    Retain yellow/orange color little bid longer than in a first location, but still fading to olive.
    However, it is planted between very dark 'Plum Pudding' and color stands out very well beside the point that it makes PP now much more 'plum' than it was before.
    {{gwi:260783}}

    In both locations they show excellent vigor. Profusion of emerging new yellow/orange leaves makes it multicolored plant all season around.
    I'm happy overall.

  • 19 years ago

    That looks exactly like my Creme brulee.

    {{gwi:260784}}

    Well, maybe not. I think my Creme brulee started out looking like that.

    Either way, I like both!!

  • 19 years ago

    Okay, I have heuchera also...but it doesn't look like yours.

    Mine is bright green and it spreads EVERYWHERE. It is a pest.

  • 19 years ago

    Well that picture certainly dispelled my concerns as to value of this cultivar. I had a hard time excepting that is was a loser when I learned that its parents were both of such good stock. Thanks to you all for your valuable input on this topic. Now it is onward to see how Crème Brûlée and Caramel do under the torch of midday sun. I am sure both will give me sweet dreams,Viva La France.

    Here is a link that might be useful: I love Terra Nova:

  • 19 years ago

    Here is a picture of my Caramel, which is new this year. It is growing in full sun.

    {{gwi:260787}}

  • 19 years ago

    Found these at one of the local nurseries that I frequent often. They operate a TC lab and have a license to propagate them. When I saw the tag that said Heuchera villosa 'Caramel', I had to pass them up, even though they were large, beautiful, one gal. plants, for $6. It is folly for me to try growing H. villosa here, I've been trying for 20 years, without success. H. americana and it's cultivars do extremely well here, but villosa is native to a more mountainous habitat and I suspect they can't tolerate the Summer heat and humidity that we experience each year.
    I checked the PP and it states that 'Caramel' was a chance seedling among many and pod parent was most likely H. villosa 'Autumn Pride'. Pollen parent was unknown.
    Rb

  • 19 years ago

    That interesting my book say it is hybrid of H.micrantha and H.villosa. If my memory serves me isn't H.micrantha found in N.Carolina. The question is when in NC was it found, it could have been at sea level or a mile above sea level. I wish there was a heuchera map of exactly where they were found, yet that may expose the native population. Well I have two and we will see if they make it until next year. I will try and make it as alpine as possible, maybe I will put an air condition on them and a big rock that has internal cooling. What is your PP reference material?

  • 19 years ago

    The question has now changed, it is now a question of what Heat Zone is this Heuchera rated for? Yes, I know it is not rated, but it should be, just as a plant is rated for Cold Hardiness.

    OK I am going over to wild flowers next, found two real strange ones today, one looks like it could be that marijuana stuff that those very evil people smoke. My neighbor maybe growing it on my land because he knows I irrigate that part of the property, maybe I should send you all some to see if it is the real thing, dam druggies.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Plant Heat Zone Map

  • 19 years ago

    Heuchera micrantha is a west coast species, found in CA,OR,WA & ID. There are six species in the mountains from GA,AL(MS), northward. Four of those, longiflora(long-flower), pubescens(downy), parviflora(small-flower) & alba(white-flowered) are not in cultivation, as far as I know, at least, I have seen no reference to them being offered for sale or used as a hybrid parent.
    You can view the US Plant Patent for Heuchera villosa "Caramel"on the website link below.
    When the page comes up, enter PP16560 in the query box on the left and then Search. I can't paste the URL for the patent. As usual, the US Gov. complicates the most simple things. The URL is 160 characters long!
    Rb

    Here is a link that might be useful: US Patent Search

  • 19 years ago

    This is getting very interesting, Heuchera villosa is a west coaster I agree that I was incorrect about them being a North Carolina sub var., however variety 'arkansana' is found in the Ozarks and var. villosa in the souther Appalachian Mountains two hundred miles away. I though anyone from Ark. would find that one interesting, The Ozarks go from a Zone 7 to Zone 3, am I correct in saying that?. Also I see here Heuchera villosa var. mycorrhizal can look almost like micrantha. In strengths and weakness it is stated that H. micrantha is intolerant of hight heat and humidity well that shots us in the foot as southerns, but on the other hand H. villosa is tolerant of heat and humidity so what about that heterogeneity. If it does lives we have a real winner and I would want the plant sooner then later. Thanks for this very interesting post, it has been the most thought provoking one I have read. Please correct my errors if you see any, it's all in the case for greater understanding. To emphasize on one point, his cultivar came to us from France, France is not like Dixie, when it come to heat and humidity by a long shot.

  • 19 years ago

    {{gwi:260788}}

    caramel with greatexpectation , morning sun till afternoon tons of water , 1st year , this fall it has really brightned up with orange,red, and yellow leaves.

  • 19 years ago

    I have found Caramel to be more stable then some heuchera in somewhat wet conditions. I have lost several so far this year to the web conditions, but none of the Caramels have show any signs of weakness. I did pour a 50% mix of H2O3 and distilled water on another that was dieing and it has seemingly saved at least part of it. I am going to do some more test with H2O3 I have received a bottle at a concentration of 35% it is very concentrated and un-buffered so it should tell me what I need to know. Yes I know what the hell I am doing.

  • 19 years ago

    This is very interesting! deshima, what is the H2O3 supposed to do for a dying plant?

    I bought 3 Creme Brulee in May, color also faded over the summer: no direct sun, just bright indirect. They are interplanted with Key Lime Pie and others, purples, for contrast. As the summer wore on the contrast faded. They look healthy but have not increased in size. The one that gets a few hours of more sun is significantly brighter. The lack of sun has not affected the Key Lime pie, the solid greens like Firefly, or the purple varieties at all. Also in May I planted Heucherella "Stoplight", a light green with a cross-like marking of red in the center. It stopped producing the red markings almost entirely, and it mostly solid light green. Someone needs to make a chart showing how much sun is needed to produce optimum coloration among different cultivars.

    Now that fall is here, the Creme Brulee is turning fall colors! None of the others did that.

  • 19 years ago

    The one free oxygen molecule attacks the anaerobic bacteria by releasing the free O2

  • 19 years ago

    There are 3 more Heuchera villosa cultivars from the same nursery in France and Plant Breeder Thierry Delabroge. Saw 2 of them at a local nursery recently: 'Citronelle' & 'Mocha', the 3rd one is 'Brownie'. Food for thought? Pun intended!
    Many of us living near a large metroplex don't need to add supplemental Ozone (O3) to our plants, we would be happy to share an abundant supply.
    Rb

  • 19 years ago

    I don't understand your comment, I am releasing an oxygen molecule to treat an anaerobic condition resulting in a increasing of the oxygen content in the soil. If there is no anaerobic condition the Ozone does not oxidise aerobic bacteria at the rate of 1.5 percent. Ozone is not a by product of pollution, but a natural occurrence and remedy for it, unfortunately it is concentrated in heavily polluted air at caustic levels. If you are making a joke please imply with : ) or LOL. Ozone is or friend if we understand it and use it correctly. The United Sates is technically behind most countries in the use of safe ozone but this is to be expected due to our educational system and the people we elect to run this county.