All About Heuchera

As a silverback in the garden center world, and a frequent traveler, I have seen about a billion perennials and heucheras are among my top favorites. The species are North American natives, with small flowers that range from showy (giving rise to one of the common names of “coral bells”), to not-so-showy, which in horticultural jargon we call “interesting.”

Literally hundreds of hybrids have been introduced over the last 20 years, and at least two good books on heucheras have been written.

Heuchera are pretty much all produced through tissue culture, and many are patented; thus, they tend to be fairly expensive (which is one reason to snap them up when they go on sale). They also have a reputation for being fussy, which means that proper siting is important.

They do best with morning sun, afternoon shade, and good drainage. They are terrific in raised beds and raised planters. They are superb in mixed containers, generally as the “filler” layer in a “spiller, filler, and thriller” combo.

They are used mainly for the terrific range of foliage colors, from nearly black to purple, silver, caramel, golden, peach, and so on. Even green!! Frequently the edges are ruffled. The small flowers may be showy, in red, pink and white, especially when multiple stems are in bloom, giving a very fine textured airy look.

If your idea of gardening is to paint with plants, then heuchera should be a mainstay of your palette. The color combinations, especially in mixed containers, are endless. And if sheltered, they may give you a nice show even in winter.

We are proud to have discovered one of the most popular heucheras here at Behnke Nurseries. Terri Poindexter (look for her in our Annuals Department), noticed an unusual plant in a group of black ‘Obsidian’ heuchera. The plant had pink splotches, as if it had been flecked with pink paint. We submitted the plant to Terra Nova, which patented it, and released it as ‘Midnight Rose,’ consistently one of their most popular plants.

Larry Hurley

Larry Hurley worked at Behnke Nurseries from 1984 until the business was composted in 2019, primarily with the perennial department in growing, buying and sales.

Before landing at Behnke’s, he worked as a technician in a tissue culture lab, a houseplant “expert” at a florist shop, and inventory controller at a wholesale nursery in Dallas. With this and that, ten years passed.

When his wife Carolyn accepted a position at Georgetown University, Larry was hired at Behnke’s for the perennial growing department and garden center at Behnke’s Largo location.

In 2021, Larry and Carolyn moved back to Wisconsin to be closer to family and further from traffic. After 37 years in a shaded yard in Maryland, he is happy to have a sunny lot where he can grow all sorts of new perennials, if only he can keep the rabbits at bay. He also enjoys cooking, traveling, and the snowblower.