I don't know Connecticut's climate but do you need to be watering at all if you get regular rain? Maybe you're overdoing it.

Thanks, Floral_uk. Perhaps they are over watered… but if so, it would only be slightly and still, they have become brown and skeleton like. Nothing like that has happened to me before :(

And thank you also mad_gallica! I didn’t think heicheras were so high maintenace… they definitely don’t get a lot of sun but most are in bright shade. They also were SO, So beautiful for the first few months of spring so not sure why they would flower so well and then just shrivel up. Anyway, I am digging out the rotten one and if they do the same thing next year, they are all getting shoveled out! Any suggestions for a pretty flowering perennial for full, bright shade? I would like astrantia or astilbe but not sure if there is enough light for them. Even “full shade” plants seem to love a bit of sun. Shockingly, what was growing here before were ditch lilies and siberian irises - I dug them all out as they were so overgrown and invasive and a messy pain. But they did always flower very well, even in these light conditions!

You could try tiarella. It likes acidic soil, so doesn't like my garden, so I don't have first hand experience with it.

The first time I saw heuchera, it was Palace Purple when it was new. It was in the perennial garden at Wave Hill, and in full sun. I asked the gardeners about it, because I had heard it was a shade plant, but they said it most definitely was not.

Thank you for the suggestion - I love tiarella! I went to tidy the plants up yesterday and the crowns all just popped right off and were orange or white in the stem. I think it is crown rot and floraluk was right and they were too wet. I barely watered them this summer though but again, we had a lot of rain. Oh well! I love them so much but think this is too wet a spot. What do you think about astilbes? They like moist conditions but I wonder if they will still flower well in bright shade and no direct sun?

Ah, Susan ~ Heuchera are rather problematical for me here in the middle of Massachusetts (west of Worcester). About 15 years ago, I put several in a west-facing bed under a mature oak tree and thought that would be dandy. They get mostly shade from that tree, and others, with a couple of hours afternoon sun, the soil is okay but could use some improvement, and I do water them now and then (not really needed this year, lol). Have lost quite a few over the years since.

One thing that happened in the early years here was the heuchera often were winter-heaved, and did poorly after that. Somewhere online I read to place brick in a "circle" near them to help keep the roots from heaving. It has worked well, for the most part. This garden is edged with large granite cobblestones, so I used granite bricks to hold the plants down.

I love heuchera and am green with envy over other folks' ability to grow them well. I do have several in other locations where they get full sun and do very well (I do water them as needed). I also think that many of the prettier ones that are so appealing do not have longevity in their genes (I blame the hybridizers for just going for the fancy stuff to the detriment of vigor -- many other plants suffer this way IMO, such as coneflowers, which are impossible for me).

Good luck with growing these! Try the brick idea to see if it helps. Considering the cost of plants nowadays, it really hurts to lose them. =)

Do you have vine/root weevils in your area? Have you noticed any notching on the edges of any evergreens like laurels or rhododendrons? Vine weevil larvae are well known to devour heuchera roots and the tops then just fall off.

https://www.heucheraholics.co.uk/page/the-evil-weevil

Heucheras tend to do well in my area and I have several that are over a decade old. The only thing that really affects them are root weevil larvae and rust. Root rot is rarely an issue as long as the soil drains well.

Also, IME ,heuchs do well in plenty of sun and develop the best coloring.........except for those varieties that offer pale chartreuse or gold and peachy colored leaves. They tend to scorch in all day sun.

In MN, I've found Heucheras to be very hit or miss for longevity either from the cold winters or hot, humid summers we get some years. That is until the Northern Exposure series came along, those have been consistently good for me.

I have plain green ones that were here when we moved in in 1978 that are still going strong. Beautiful little pink flowers at 2' ft. or so. They get good sun 8-1. But most other varieties that i have planted since, poop out and I've probably tried 15 different ones at least! Go figure.

@roxanna I planted some beautiful purple palace 2 years ago in my backyard and after heaving over the winter and having to replant them, they just disappeared and have never returned! Now I am dealing with these 7 lost “Berry Timeless” 😭They sure did brighten up the north facing border… it was too good to be true!

@rginnie I have some Autumn Bride in the back - they are plain green with white flowers in the fall and I believe they are meant to be an older variety and more reliable. So far so good with those so all of my fingers and toes are crossed!

@gardengal I haven’t seen any in that bed but tomorrrow I will do a proper clean up to get those roots (or whatever is left) out and will report back!

Gosh, I hope the astilbe works in that spot! At least the ferns are happy!

OP Susan doesn't specify which variety, but in my opinion, this is another genus ruined by the commercial commercializers/patent procurers, like a certain Latin sounding wholesale nursery. They are bred to look pretty, not survive long in average gardens outwith the PNW. Search for my prior comments about the 1990s fav 'Pewter Veil', which might have the last one to be a vigorous garden plant, and is, of course, no longer available.

'Autumn Bride' and 'Bronze Wave' are both pretty bullet-proof for me: I have them planted in everything from rich soil and full, blasting all-day sun to hard-as-a-rock dry clay in nearly full shade, and they thrive regardless. They're not the most exciting looking Heucheras, but I love the large, lush foliage and in particular, the huge fluffy flower panicles on Autumn Bride in late summer/early fall. I believe the H. villosa genetics in both of them contributes to their durability and ability to withstand varying conditions.

Thanks Sah. When I'm in the mood to try another one, I'll keep that in mind.

It is disappointing, isn't it? I don't have any new advice for you, just company in your misery... I have stopped buying new heucheras, cone flowers, and hydrangeas, after spending far too much on the breeders' promises...

For reference

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/1615403/are-patented-plants-ruining-horticulture

Susan I don't have much to add but wanted to commiserate on the weather with you. I think you are in Stratford? I'm right over in Shelton, and yes, this season has been difficult weather-wise. A LONG, cold, gloomy spring, then immediate, way-too-hot summer, and then torrential downpours interspersed. One day it's like a drought and a few days later things are washed away. Three days later you have to water! Sigh.

MG that's crazy what MOBOT says - they change their info with each sentence! But I guess that's the real scoop lol. Because so many people seem to have trouble getting these plants to grow. I always was under the impression they were shade plants. And yes, David and roxanna, I agree with the premise that they are being cranked out without really being hardy in most gardens - all for a quick buck, I guess. Roxanna as I was reading your post, before you even mentioned them, I was thinking, yep, just like all the fancy new coneflowers....

I have planted heuchera in the past in some customers' gardens which has done well - not spectacular, but not bad either. All gardens were shady, and were moister rather than drier.

I planted several last year in a new bed at my daughters

They get morning filtered sun, and a bit of straight sun for about an hour. Soil is fairly dry, with probably not enough supplemental water as they should get. They still look pretty good (this photo was from the beginning of June). I'm surprised to hear you say your's were wet, because my first thought was that perhaps they weren't getting enough water...

IME, astilbes will do well in a wet spot. I had a customer who pretty much literally had a swamp with a garden. Her lawn guy got so he wouldn't run his tractor down there anymore because he kept getting stuck, and the area had standing water several months of the year. I expanded the garden a LOT (took away the grassy area that couldn't get mowed) and planted shrubs and plants that like the moisture, and the astilbes did wonderfully. They really were beautiful. Half shade, half sun. So hopefully those will work for you.

:)

Dee