By Dan Heims, President, Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc.
Photographs courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc.
Well, campers, people really dug our article on the Kismet™ series of Echinacea. So we took it upon ourselves to show the new member of the Forever™ family. Heuchs are still hot. Few plants can match the choices in foliage color and bloom, size (from minis to the Grandes), and adaptability to cold and heat of all flavors. We were blown away by discovering that our Northern Exposure™ series not only took temps in the -30s but did better than any in Costa Nursery’s Miami trials! Our breeders stunned the world with the invention of ‘Forever Purple’. Never before had the market seen a shimmering coral bell with such electric purple leaves over such a long period. Its heritage allowed it adaptability to many zones and microclimates. In other words, it was a hit. Followed soon after by ‘Forever Red’, the color conduit painted a new picture.
Today we are going to introduce you to the rest of the family! In containers, the Forever™ family excels. It is a decent size, but not overwhelming. The colors contrast beautifully with orange, white, or yellow-flowered (and foliaged) companion plants. They make a great background for spring pansies, impatiens, and Wave™ petunias. They hold a lovely spot in the rock garden and can shore up the front of the border. Pollinators love them, including honeybees and hummingbirds. There is still a Goth market out there and their followers adore the dark and moody purples and blacks. Come meet the family!
All the Forever™ Heucheras are hardy in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 4-9. Plants take any exposure, need good drainage, and like to dry out between waterings. Edging, borders, containers, or rock gardens are the perfect places to grow these plants.
FOREVER® ‘Midnight’
Terra Nova’s newest offering! Just like its parent, FOREVER® 'Midnight' does not disappoint. Deep, purple-black leaves are heavily ruffled, with crisp edges. Leaves are opalescent, catching light and revealing different shades of purple, amethyst, violet, and plum. Quite mysterious. Great bloom height to 22 inches on an upright but compact habit, 15 inches wide by 12 inches high. White flowers are on dark scapes that keep coming from early summer until September.
We tried so hard to name this something else, but we all came back to the name FOREVER® 'Purple' for an amazingly simple reason. It is forever purple! FOREVER® 'Purple' is a knockout with ultra-purple glossy leaves with fluted edges and great vigor. Truly short spikes of purple-pink flowers in summer and four seasons of purple. A real showstopper. Destined to become the new standard for purple foliage perennials. Bloom height to 22 inches on an upright but compact habit, 15 inches wide by 12 inches high. White flowers keep coming from early summer until September.
This lovely, fast-growing Heuchera has the reddest leaves ever, a great crown, and it is a vigorous grower. The leaves are cut and somewhat ruffled and reddest in the spring and fall when the temperatures are cooler. A bit lower bloom height to 14 inches on an upright but compact habit, 14 inches wide by 7 inches high. White flowers are on orange scapes that keep coming from early summer until September.
Dan Heims is an award-winning author who lectures throughout the world. He was recently honored by The American Horticultural Society with the Luther Burbank Breeding Award, as well as the Perennial Plant Association’s Award of Merit. He was also honored in receiving the Royal Horticultural Society’s Reginald Cory Cup for advancements in breeding.
If you think the flower show is over once summer fades … think again. Fall has its own cast of joyful and colorful characters. For an interesting article, click here .
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