I have not had success with this Heuchera. My first one looked amazing throughout the summer and early fall but didn't make it through the winter. I tried a different location for my second one but it just barely survived last winter and has not returned to a good size. Would not recommend it for 6B.

That's too bad as it has such a spectacular color :(. Any other suggestions for a heuchera with extra eye catching bright foliage but also vigorous eg....Paprika?

I have had good luck with H. 'Cherry Cola' - very bright red-orange leaves and with flowers of almost the same shade. I am hunting down a local supplier for 'Autumn Leaves', which looks in pictures - haven't yet seen in person - to be even more red. Pale, almost white flowers so a bit more of a contrast. The owner of my nursery purchases plugs from Terra Nova and grows on his own heuchs, so if I can't locate soon, I'll ask him to try this one out as well :-)

I would also say that I live in a climate with growing conditions that suit just about any heuch so they all do very well. Can't say the same for my success in colder climates.

I have noticed CC over the past couple of years. If it was white flowers I think I would go for it. Seems kind of odd that the flower color is so similar to the color of the foliage?

Can't say the same for my success in colder climates.

And yet I think it used to the case that heuchera were considered a quite hardy plant. All these 'new fangled varieties are weaklings?

Fire Alarm was a weak one for me and eventually disappeared after 2 years (the only heuchera I ever lost). I second Sherry's recommendation on Georgia Peach. It is very robust without needing much care. In spring time, the red color is almost the same as Fire Alarm (see below the link for comparison). The color does fade somewhat in the summer (and so do all Heucheras). But the under side of the huge leaves is very red so with wind and sun the red is very visible. The flowers are slight pinkish and white.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3032084/spring-is-the-best-time-for-heucheras-zone-5a-il?n=20

Casita Azul's site is a nice resources for heucheras:

http://www.ilovehostas.net/hechcopp.html

Same issue with Fire Alarm. Looked great the first year, but all the leaves died after 1 winter. This whole season it only grew 3 leaves. My other heuchera are triving in the same bed. :(

So how would one compare say...."Paprika" with "Georgia Peach" in terms of eye catching color?

Well, I can see that I am very late to the party, but I thought I would throw in my 2 cents worth for future readers and researchers.

I live in Central Arkansas and pride myself on being able to grow pretty much anything, BUT, and this is a big BUT,. I fell in love with Fire Alarm and just had to have it. I was so hopeful. I planted it and I don’t think it lived until the first fire truck arrived. LOL

I don’t think I will try again, but I have been doing my research. I googled “the best Heuchera to grow”. There are many opinions out there, but they don’t vary that much.

I would check out (in no certain order)

Terra Nova Nurseries

Proven Winners

Birds and Blooms

The Spruce

Walters Gardens

and I have not checked out Southern Living yet, but their suggestions would probably benefit only me.

The next (and probably smartest) thing I’m going to do is visit all the nurseries near me and ask them which Heuchera they sell and which ones do best in my area.

I think The Spruce is up in the northeast and what works for him may fail miserably for me down here in the south.

good luck and happy gardening.

In Arkansas - or anywhere else in the southern part of the country - you want to focus on villosas or villosa hybrids. They hold up better to your summer heat and humidity....humidity being the most defining factor.

Thanks all! This was a nice thread with some great suggestions. I will be looking for Cherry Cola or Georgia Peach. I need a really red addition!

Ditto on Fire Alarm for me. I'm in 5B. That sucker didn't last until the fire truck got here.

My best red is Carnival Watermelon. Not as red as Fire Alarm, but I like it.

Went to a huge garden center today and they didn't have any of the ones I wrote down. I will look at another one next weekend. Boo!

My Georgia Peach does great and gets quite good sized. Its color is nearly fluorescent at this time of year. My very favorite is Mahogany and that's exactly what its color is. It does well but only gets about half as big as Georgia Peach. But the color is spectacular. I feel like the orangish color is more natural looking than the bright, bright Georgia Peach.

I got Georgia Peach on Saturday at a 50% off all plants sale. It was a bargain. I planted it in more sun than I would normally plant a heuchera here. We will see how it does. If it hates that amount of sun, I'll move it. Thanks for all the recommendations!

Another vote for Georgia Peach, which has done very well for me in my GA 7b garden. Two flank a hydrangea, planted on an East facing wall near the foundation.

Beautiful, Jen. Thank you so much for sharing! I hope mine will grow up and look like that.