Top 10 Most Colorful Heucheras for Instant Impact in Borders and Containers
Top 10 Most Colorful Heucheras for Instant Impact in Borders and Containers
By Monrovia Nursery Company
Photographs courtesy of Monrovia Nursery Company
Gardeners across the country are embracing Heuchera as a favorite addition to their gardens and containers. These easy-to-grow perennials boast remarkable adaptability, making them an ideal choice for various garden settings. Vibrant varieties like those featured below are a perfect fit for gardeners seeking low-maintenance plants that add instant color to their garden beds and containers.
Part of the charm of Heuchera lies in its exceptional range of colors, including vibrant shades of red, purple, and amber, infusing instant visual interest and diversity into garden beds and containers. Plus, ruffled or variegated foliage often lends a unique textural allure.
While Heuchera is commonly associated with shady gardens, newer varieties such as Northern Exposure™ and Siren Song™ boast elevated sun tolerance, enhancing their adaptability to a wider range of growing conditions.
Late summer and fall are the perfect time to welcome these marvelous plants into the landscape and showcase their colorful show in containers. Here are our top 10 most colorful Heucheras, carefully selected for their rainbow of captivating colors, enticing textures, and suitability for easy-care containers and borders. Each of these varieties thrives in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 4-9.
The leaves of this plant emerge in a striking ruby red, displaying an exceptionally ruffled appearance. As they age, they transition to a deep merlot with a beautiful silver frost. During early spring, abundant, petite white flowers bloom. Whether used as an accent piece or planted en masse in a woodland border, this plant adds a captivating touch. Partial shade to full sun. Up to nine inches tall, 14 inches wide.
Long-lived, hardy, and rust-resistant, this perennial adds a pop of color to a shady garden. New leaves emerge green, then transform in summer to burnt orange with yellow edges. Bright pink flowers bloom in spring. Partial shade to full sun. Up to 13 inches tall, 21 inches wide.
Brilliant, amber-colored, rounded leaves with fluted edges form a tidy, dense mound accented with sprays of small greenish-yellow flowers. Superb, long-lasting foliage, rust resistance, and longevity due to hardy parentage. Full shade to full sun. Up to 14 inches tall, 20 inches wide.
Gray-green leaves with orange blushes are delightfully wavy and cupped, showing off their colorful, bright pink undersides. Short and compact; perfect for containers or the front of borders. Partial sun. Up to eight inches tall, 18 inches wide.
Bold, burgundy-red rounded leaves with fluted edges form a tidy, dense mound accented with sprays of small greenish-yellow flowers. Superb, long-lasting foliage, rust resistance, increased sun tolerance, and longevity due to hardy parentage. Full shade to full sun. Up to 14 inches tall, 20 inches wide.
The reddest foliage to be found, with intensely colored, incised, lightly ruffled leaves on deep red stems. Foliage color is most intense in the cooler spring and fall months. Showy sprays of tiny pink buds open to white flowers in midsummer. Full shade to partial sun. Up to seven inches tall, 14 inches wide.
Dark cool-green and purple leaves with lovely wavy edges grow upright, showing off their wine-red undersides. Short and compact; perfect for containers or the front of perennial beds. Partial sun. Up to seven inches tall, 14 inches wide.
Unfaltering color, with intensely purple, glossy foliage with fluted edges. Produces short, airy sprays of small, soft violet-colored flowers on deep-purple stems from late spring through summer. Outstanding color for borders, rock gardens, and mixed containers. Full shade to full sun. Up to 12 inches tall, 22 inches wide.
This is a mesmerizing new coral bells variety exclusive to Monrovia. Its foliage boasts a captivating dark purple-red color that is surprisingly tolerant of sunlight. Magnificent sprays of reddish-pink blooms open in late spring, enticing hummingbirds. The ruffled purple-red leaves bring a stunning depth to gardens and mixed containers. Partial shade to partial sun. Up to 18 inches tall, 15 inches wide.
Stunningly black, shiny, rounded leaves hold their color all season. The compact, mounding form offers great opportunities in small urban gardens. Plant en masse to intensify the dramatic color effect. Very striking when paired in pots with high-contrast companions, like green hostas and ferns. Up to 10 inches tall, 16 inches wide. Partial to full sun.
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By Laura Root
Photos courtesy of Jackson & Perkins
Gardeners are always thinking ahead to the next season or the next year. And, fall is the ideal time to think about spring. Flowering shrubs, perennials and spring bulbs are great choices.
Click here for an interesting article about spring bulbs.
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