I am in 5a and have had good results with Grape Expectations, have not had any of the others you listed. Is Green Spice available? It is my best grower here and I love the colors in it. photo below.

Sherry

Their vigor varies widely. I have foubd the original purple to be the hardiest

Grape Expectations is one of the only heuchera that has not petered out on me -- so in my book he's a winner.

I don't have a lot of experience with heucheras, but yes, one of my concerns is vigor. The few I've had have indeed petered out so I would like something more vigorous. Maybe Grape Expectations is the way to go.

Kitasei2 what is the original purple?

Thanks!

:)

Dee

Not sure but you should be safe if you stay away from the other colors. In winter mulxh the crowns which tend to heave in our zone's volatile temperaturas and snow cover. Divide in soring nit fall.

Palace Purple was one of the the original hybrids. It is a great performer and long lived. Look for anything with villosa heritage since they are the best for the east. Many were bred on the west coast and we generally have trouble with those.

Ah yes, I remember Palace Purple now that you've jogged my memory. Thanks peren.all. I believe that one of those listed above has villosa heritage so I will go back and read more carefully.

Thanks!

:)

Dee

As I gain knowledge about how to grow heuchera, I have found that the oldies are the hardiest. I have had Plum Pudding for many years. I also have some unnamed varieties that I am sure are one of those "oldies." They are tough, but they don't have the grand coloring that the new ones have.

Now I have ventured out to try the new hybrids that offer more color. I lost my original Wild Rose to rot, but now am trying for a second time. I bought it this year and it has remained in the same pot with the same media. It is gorgeous.

Forever Purple was stunning, but then rotted also. I now have Forever Red. So far, so good (overwintered one year).

What I have learned is that these heuchera don't like clay soil. They love good drainage and hate wet winters.

They also like raised beds because they usually offer better drainage. I haven't lost one in my raised beds.

Palace Purple and Caramel have been good for me for some time. Newer ones, Electric Lime and Mint Frost are only a year one. Sherry, your Green Spice is beautiful!

debra

I have had Green Spice in my gardens for severals years in many different spots. It is my best performer other than the ”original” purple heuchera. I will repeat that Autumn Bride will grow any where here, full shade, mostly sun and with root competition, dry soil. I place it where nothing else does well.

Sherry

What did you end up with? Any luck?

I just impulsively bought Electric Plum that is quite stunning and has pink flowers. Hope it lasts. Reading about it, I am learning that it is a vilosa species which has a good chance of doing well. I also have Midnight Rose that has lasted several years. The orange/rust/caramel ones have been super disappointing, but purple usually holds up... at least my experience. Had Green Spice in my old garden and it was awesome for the coral flowers -- multiple bloom cycles and they were unexpectedly delightful.

Wendy, I cannot believe that today, this afternoon, of all days and of all times, you decided to respond to this post! I literally was just at my daughter's house as you were posting, and not only was I working on this bed, but as I took a break I sat contemplating it, and took pictures to post here to ask some questions. How crazy!

I ended up going with Primo Wild Rose, and I am so incredibly torn over this whole bed.

The PWR are beautiful, and are doing well.... but.... I don't think it's the right color for this spot. They are a very reddish purple - as a matter of fact, today, in the sun, they looked pinkish.

I'm just not thrilled with the overall look. My daughter loves it (but she isn't a gardener and doesn't know the other options lol) and many people compliment it (and again, they aren't gardeners lol) so she doesn't really care if I change it or not.

My thoughts today were this: The Wiggily Squigley hostas (or whatever the name is lol) are too washed out for this bed. The Autumn Frost hostas, which I LOVE, are too yellowish. However, I think I could live with both of those if the darn heuchera weren't so reddish. I think a dark purple would be better - I actually like the color of the old, half-dead leaves under the new growth better than the real color lol.

And that's what I was thinking of posting about - asking for thoughts on why this isn't quite working. I'm also wondering if I need another (third) color in here....

Keep in mind my phone takes awful pictures - no definition, and I was going to say color is usually off but now that I look at this, this is pretty representative...

The PWR in this photo below are newer than in the first photo above. You can see how well the more established ones are doing, and these below are coming along nicely too. Just too darn pinky/red

So any thoughts on the color scheme? Should I switch out the heucheras? Maybe leave them and switch out the hostas to something darker? Still lighter but not as light as the WS or AF (I don't even like those Wiggily ones lol - I thought they'd be a nice leaf change but I just can't learn to love them lol). But even the Frances Williams in the back, with the darker variegation, doesn't look super great with this color heuchera.

Last and worst, lol - there are two hydrangeas in this bed, whose blooms are.... (I blush to say it.....).... BLUE! Ack! Those REALLY don't work with the heucheras lol. But they are there to stay because my daughter loves them

:)

Dee

Wendy I also forgot to add that I think I had Midnight Rose in a customer's garden, or at least planted one of them to try, and it was quite nice. Kind of the same color scheme - gold leaf spireas, Captain Kirk hostas, hakone aureola, and dark hollies. Not sure why I didn't go with Midnight Rose this time... I'm sure I must have considered them but can't remember why I didn't choose them....

:)

Dee

Dee, it's stunning! For a shade bed with no flowers in bloom, this is exactly why you did what you did!!! It's all about the foliage. You have contrast in colors and leaf shapes. It's awesome!!

I'll tell you a story about the darker/purpler foliage.... I had a bed that has a couple of purple barberries; a purple foliage penstemon and something else purple but it escapes me. I was employing the design principal of color in the foliage lasts longer than blooms. However, when I looked at it from a distance or in a pic -- even with the other multi shade green plants in between the purples -- the bed felt dark as in dreary-dark! I removed the penstemon and severely cut back the barberries and added white where I could to brighten things up. Much better!

I think if you do the darker heucheras you risk creating that dreary-dark feel. What you have is bright and happy. I do agree with you that more purple and less pink would go better with the gold foliage, but I wouldn't touch it. It's really great.

.... and when the hydrangeas are blooming, they will be the star and the rest won't matter.

Thanks Wendy! I hope you're not just trying to make me feel better lol. Yes, it certainly is bright and happy - perhaps a tad too much lol. IDK.... there's just something to me that is off. I do add pots of annuals in here, and often go with a salmony/peachy-pink color, which I think plays off nicely. I am considering white this year but haven't decided yet.

Lol I know what you mean about the dreary look. Sometimes I am so drawn to some of the darker foliages and blooms but if you go too heavy on them your garden is doom and gloom - a garden Morticia would love! I was never a fan of white but in the last few years have really come around to it. It is especially beautiful in the evening dusk, when all the whites just pop. But even in the day time, it can make a bed much brighter.

Thanks for your input!

:)

Dee

Oh, also, I added an aralia Sun King. I've always always wanted to try one and so I put one in here last year. Not sure how that will affect the balance of colors when it gets larger. I may have to add some darker green somewhere to help counter all the bright foliage!

:)

Dee

I can envision that nicely... nice texture.... I loved japanese painted fern in my old garden. WIsh I had more shade here. It only spread mildly and easy to pull out in tight spaces.

Ty, Wendy. i ”borrowed it”!

I love Japanese painted fern but have never had much luck getting it to stick around for long. I'm not sure it would work with this color scheme though.

I think my problem with it - and it would be the same probem in this yard - is that the soil may be too dry. Maybe I'll try it in my own yard. Although I've lost sooo much shade the last few years. Lost a beautiful triple oak almost ten years ago, and I'm still trying to get a small tree to get going in that area - my poor shade bed (lol that is really no longer a shade bed!) is suffering from the loss.

And then I lost a LOT of shade when the electric company cleared out a patch of scrub trees and a tall oak and a cedar along the road. Now I'm naked and exposed and sunburned lol. Some beautiful soil over in that corner but I guess it will be drying out soon.

:)

Dee