I have rather limited experience with Heucheras, but here it is for what it's worth: I have tried "Americana", "Palace Purple", "Can Can" and "Firefly" in bright shade. Of these only "Americana" and "Palace Purple" have survived for several years. The other two died in their first year. Susan.

Have had long term success with omly the Heuchera americana cultivars, such as 'Dale's Strain'. 'Green Spice', 'Mint Frost', some others that persist, but do not seem to thrive, are 'Pewter Veil', 'Plum Pudding', 'Ruby Veil'. 'Palace Purple' lasted for many years before expiring and I have replaced those with new stock. In my garden, the hybrids of Pacific NW species, sanguinea, cylindrica and macrantha, which includes many of the colorful leaf cultivars, have not survived for more than a couple of years. Often only one season. Same lack of success with the Heucherella cultivars I've tried.
Wish I could be more optomistic, but know of other gardeners in my area that have had the same experiences. We just admire the pictures and plant something else!
Rb

Thanks so much, Browneyedsusan and Razorback. That's what I was afraid of, and why I asked. I am holding out hope that others will respond with other Heucheras that are "working", or maybe with drainage or shade hints that make some of the other colors work. I wish the hybridizers would reveal their new offerings' lineage, but I guess that would entail revealing trade secrets.

I have some "plum pudding" variety. I planted them 3 years ago. Some have done great, others have died, a few each year. They're together in a front bed that gets hot morning/mid-day sun. I was thinking the sun was just too much for them...or the mid-summer drought. I'm trying to decide if I should divide what is left and replant or just give up. My landscape planner recommended them, but I don't think she realized how very hot the sun is on the front of my house (southern exposure).

I was under the impression that Coral Bells were a shade loving plant. Even here in Michigans U P they do not like to be in the sun. But do wonderfully in light shade. I tried some in our Alabama winter home, (shade) and had no luck at all with them.

Here are the results for various heucheras from the UGA trial garden for 2004. While you're at the site, you can also see the results for 2005. Hope it helps with your question.

Here is a link that might be useful: UGA Trial Garden Results

Im taking the plunge anyway, I know this thread is 2006 and its now 2015......but it might help anyway. I've bought Lime marmalade and a few of the very dark black ones to try. We get torrential topical humidity and rain for weeks on end so if it survives here it will survive in Florida anywhere including Cuba. Im planting in a raised stone bed under a giant Cinnamomum camphora tree so they will get no more than dappled light part of the day. The soil is almost pure black composted leaf mould, moist and free draining.

Im so bored with coleus already. They are not dependable being somewhat fragile for me anyway, though as a temp bedding happening they are Ok.

I will post the results, could be a matter of weeks even days ): The ones Im trying are recommended by sites selling them for heat and humidity so we shall see. Here they are sold as novelty house plants can you believe, exported by the Netherlands where they are used outdoors of course. Im not sure how they do indoors with aircon myself, I think also a matter of days.

One rather nice perennial I did try which has been a huge success has been Ajuga repens in its various forms, all seem to thrive, black scallop is my favourite. They are slightly slow growing in the tropics (a good thing and probably the reason they survive) eventually make a very nice thick healthy ground cover, especially nice in big pots as a ground cover or foil for a specimen plant, sun or shade, the more humidity the more sun.

If Heuchera doesn't thrive that's OK its nice there is something with such wonderfully delightful foliage and colour for our Northern cousins in the shade, who desperately try for the tropical look we so take for granted. Im sure these add to their palette hugely, they would if I was going for the tropical look thats for sure.

The villosa hybrids do well for me. They like to be planted where they get morning sun and prefer the soil to be well drained and slightly on the dry side.

Susan

Bored with coleus? Try perilla, alternathera, and Persian shield. All these are better than coleus in our heat and humidity.

Foamflowers (tiarella) seem to be more durable than the fancy heucheras. Some hybrids called heucherellas have come out. I'm trying a variety called Sweet Tea; the name gave me hope it might do well dow here in sweet tea country!

All the Heucheras I planted died within two weeks, just not up to heat but primarily the humidity. So I can stop lusting after their pretty frilly seeweed affect once and for all. Just wish they would stop selling them, I can imagine they do very well as a house plant but who rightly knows. Anyone try? The ones in the shop die in the aircon very quickly I've noticed.

Yes I use Perillia, Alternathra and Persian shield. Persian shield is a bit weedy where I am so Im always pulling up seedlings. As pretty as they are I don't need them everywhere.

Crotons do well here and fill in a bit of the colour niche, especialy the more interesting ones like "Zulu". The others tend to all look the same certain times of the year, though plain yellow forms and red/green ones are very useful.

I've had good luck with "Dale's Strain", which sends up tons of baby plants each year.

"Palace Purple" melts and dies.

"Caramel" has done well so far (1 year); well enough to need division.

"Carnival Plum Crazy" and "Carnival Silver Streak" were bought as small plants in early fall and are doing well. I bought another Carnival series at the same time that died but didn't keep the tag on that one.

I have another green leafed variety with red flowers that I bought a year ago as a gallon plant that I divided this spring. The specific variety wasn't listed on that one.

Would love to see an updated list of heat tolerant varieties.

I think heat is one thing but heat plus humidity and torrential rain seems to be another thing. Im thinking they might do better with just heat if you keep the soil moist and the site is in a shady spot......well actually who rightly knows. Where are you whitewatervol?

Oh right, yes sounds like you're on the threshold of being able to grow them there, American zone wise. I wonder if they can in places like Texas, the shade there isn't quite so humid.

Yes I know for a fact they will grow happily in the sub-tropics even the tropics with a little to quite a lot of altitude. Nowhere near or at sea level, at any latitude. Zone systems are quite simplistic. IMO rather than trying to create more or half zones they should take altitude into consideration, might be a bit complex. Would give a better idea of possibilities, though. I think thats why they're not used much outside of America.

So many examples but lets take the highlands of Kenya in Africa, there at certain altitude you can grow hydrangeas, daffodils, perennials etc etc, they have a frost belt, just bellow that you can start growing the subtropical things and many perennials (heaven on earth), further down mainly only subtropical and at the coast or more or less sea level just tropical etc etc. The climate of course varies widely as well in every zone particularly America where zones can mean completely different things to people.

Anyway yea for me I can only do Heuchera as an annual in the dry cool season, maybe I will try that one winter, if they grow fast enough it would work. I particularly love the bright green ones and the reds ,well all of them (:

I am very late joining this discussion, but I thought I would add my 2 cents for future readers. I have planted many Heuchera, some twice, only to see them die. One that I planted in the first group has thrived and is more beautiful every year. It is H. ‘Wild Rose’.

I live in Little Rock, a very hot and humid place. I just spoke with a fellow gardener who is wanting to try yoga room so he went and talk to one of our best plant nurseries in Little Rock. They told him that you couldn’t are so finicky in our area that they only carry one strain of the hookah room. He did not remember which frame. But the name of the nursery

Thanks for your 2cents. That more or less adds up, they're not tolerant of heat and humidity. I'm also sorry to say as I wrote previously that Ajuga repens does well. Well it did for a season or two then I'm afraid melted into mush too. Not reliable at all.