Thanks for sharing. Since you are having success you will probably become an addict like everyone else here!

I like them!!

What did you plant them in to give them a good start that will encouarge them to only get bigger? How did you prepare the soil? What kind of location? Full sun, part sun?
Believe me, once you see them do well, you will only want more.

Beautiful and thanks for sharing)

MIke

This post was edited by meyermike_1micha on Sun, Oct 26, 14 at 15:09

Hi, Peren.all and Mike. Nothing special on the soil, just some compost mixed in the dirt -- is there something you would recommend? This particular heuchera is on the north side of a building but gets some afternoon sun. Most of them are under large oaks but the canopy is pretty high so they get a good amount of filtered light (not sure whether that is part-sun or part-shade?). I'm still excited because some of the other maxima are also starting to put out spikes now!

The purple heuchera at the top of the frame get quite a bit of sun, I think they might do better with a bit more water (and if I can keep the kids from trampling them). I found a pot and those are called "Amethyst Mist." I also have some of those in a shadier area with less traffic that are doing much better, but the leaves are starting to turn more greenish and less purple.

This fall is kind of an experiment to figure out what does best where, so I can have a bit more confidence about putting more plants in next year. I love all the fancy ones I've seen in the photos on this forum but I want to have a bit of a clue before I attempt some like those!

Sounds like you are going to have such beauty out there. I have fallen in love with these plants, especially the very RED and Black leafed ones..

I was going to suggest you get peat moss from Lowe's or Home Depot, anywhere really and mix a lot of it into the hole about 2x wider than your plants and 2 x deeper..Mix the peat in well..They LOVE peat and seem to thrive much better than in plain ole earth or compost..

It is not too late to give them a great start and trust me, you won't have issues with them shrinking to nothing or rot..They thrive in the peat moss mixed with soil..Could be the pH thingy and how peat holds moisture so perfectly...Notice how great they look when you buy them in a pot with a peat moss mixture?

Thought I would share what has made mine thrive)

Please, keep us updated on their progress...The colors should be much different come spring than in fall and summer. They always surprise me and especially when the sun affects them.

MIke

Mike, that is interesting. I might need to try some of the purple ones in peat if they are far enough from the trees... The folks at the nursery said the maxima are native and should be fine without much care.

Do you have any thoughts as to what is going on with these?

This is one of the ones from the first photo. Not so happy, in near full sun. It is near the front walk and I did catch the kids tromping on it the other day, they've been warned now.

And this is in another location, morning sun only, it is looking good but the leaves are much greener ...

Oaktown You are already seeing where they do best. Experience IS the best teacher. I agree Mike, peat moss is a great supplement and probably worked so well for you because you soil is sandy? - Oaktown- You seem to have good soil, so I would keep using compost as you have done. IMHO compost is the best thing you could ever use. It will feed your soil every nutrient, help to loosen clay, help to bind sand, if your soil is a little too alkaline or acidic it will help balance it, will help your soil retain moisture, worms will be happy and they help keep your soil aerated and you can make it for FREE. Do you think I am a fan? lol.
You can certainly use both. Your Heucheras are simply doing what they do at this time of year, start to go dormant.

Hi Peren...

Thanks..My soil is actually very earthy full of worms..It's very rich but can still dry out very quickly in times of drought or a lck of water. It can also become compacted which also prevents good growth.

The peat I noticed opens the soil, makes it more easy to work with, and prevents the mix from being to hard to water...The water goes right through the root zone very quickly..The ones I have planted in just the very good soil I have seem to struggle to get bigger and in fact shrivel over the years or become like a root with few leavs on top.

Thanks for stopping by..Very nice of you)

MIke

Oaktown: Welcome to gardenweb! I've been doing the same thing this season, watching plants how well they do in their spots, keeping an eye on the amounts of sunlight and shade for the different areas, and all that fun stuff. Musical plants is a fun game!

I have lost a few heuchera due to their location. They didn't play well with the hosta so now they have their own beds in more sunlight and are doing much better.

Oaktown, what zone are you in? My heuchera and hosta play well together here in zone 5. They all get some sun and shade here. If i leave the flower scapes on over the winter i usually have baby heuchera somewhere in the garden in the spring. Happy gardening!

Sherry

Hi southerngardening24 and Sherry,

Don't have any hosta yet. Planted some at our old house but those were devastated by snails when we went away on vacation :-( Our snails are like piranha . . . The hosta looked good for a while though, so perhaps in the spring I will try.

We're in zone 9b, it got up to almost 80 here yesterday so I'm guessing the heuchera are confused. I am hoping to see flowers soon. Here is an updated shot of the plant from the first picture, any day now . . .

Oaktown, I've seen some pictures of the snails you have to deal with, no comparison to the slugs I see here. Now I see why your hosta and heuchera dont play well together ! Zone 9 for you and 5 for me. Its always interesting to see how people all over deal with their conditions in the garden. I learn something evry time I check in to the forums here. Got any daylilies? Got alot of activity and southern growers on that forum during warmer weather, it is pretty quiet there now.

Sherry

Hi Sherry,

We really don't have much in yet, we only moved recently and the yard was pretty much a blank slate except for the trees and some agapanthus, a bunch of ivy and poison oak that we cleared out :-). Around here, snails love to hide in the agapanthus.

So far, we only have in the heuchera, some oakleaf hydrangea, Japanese anemone (which I am now hearing is kind of a pest). In a very sunny area we put in some drought tolerants -- anigozanthos, phormium, grasses -- we are in California and have had some watering restrictions recently. Maybe Stella d'Oro lilies would do ok.

I grew up in the South and remember some incredible gardens there -- but mostly the tomatoes . . .

Oaktown, please dont limit yourself to stella doro! With watering restrictions daylilies are probably one of the better flowering plants to choose. They have tuberous roots so do well in drought conditions. When you have time check out the daylily forum here from this past july and august. You will be surprised at what is available and how gorgeous the flowers are. I know there are several growers in california with great reputations that do mail order. Most of these are named in the forums by people who have purchased from them. There are also growers on the Lily Auction ( google this ) that live in warmer climates and are selling daylilies now. I have purchased on the Lily Auction and have been really pleased with the plants I received. Happy gardening and hope you have time to check these places out!

Sherry

This board is very quiet . . .

So here is an update on the plant from the first post:

And another plant, new foliage has a bit of color interest. In the spring, I am definitely going to try putting in some of those fabulous colored ones I've seen on here!

Hi Oaktown-So happy that you got to see it flower. Looks like the second one will as well. You are very lucky? smart to live in such a warm climate. Mine are now under snow which is due to melt but that will be short lived.
Yes, this forum has been sloooooow for quite a while now. The perennial forum while not buzzing is definitely more active. Hope to see you there!

Thanks peren.all, I have been meaning to check out some of the other gardening forums. I can just spend hours looking at all the glorious gardens! I think I will just lurk for a while until I feel a bit more knowledgeable. I really appreciate you and all the other folks who are so kind to share garden wisdom!

Well, I think I have the bug. I went to get a Christmas tree and came home with Peach Melba. Will put them in the ground when it stops raining!

This post was edited by Oaktown on Wed, Dec 3, 14 at 17:39