Add a Splash of Color to your Zone 7 Shade Garden
Lime Green Heuchera
Of course everyone loves flowers to add color to their garden but lets face it, flowers don’t last very long. You may have a great looking garden for a few weeks but what happens when the blooms fade? Are you left with a dreary looking garden? If so, the I have the perfect suggestion for you! Add that much needed splash of color with season long foliage with Heucheras also known as coral bells. Why Heucheras you ask? Simple, because they come in a variety of dazzling colors including peach, lime green, purple, green and more! Some are even multicolored! Even better, they grow fast , are extremely easy to care for and can be had relatively cheaply.
Growing Heucharas is extremely easy, just put them in well draining rich garden soil in a partial shade (no more than half day) to a full shaded spot and they will produce lots of colorful foliage for you the entire growing season. They are somewhat drought tolerant but should be watered regularly for the best foliage. They don’t really need a lot of fertilizer to do well either, some good old fashion cow manure around the base will do them just fine. They are also extremely hardy being partial evergreens and surviving in zones 3-9. Unlike some other foliage plants, Heucheras are completely non invasive and have nice round mounding growing habit. As they mature depending on the variety, they will form a nice mound up to 2′-3′ wide and up to 2′ tall.
Heucheras are relatively easy to find but the more exotic and colorful varieties can only be found online and at high end nurseries. If you have never tried them, I highly recommend them because they look absolutely great! I personally have several of the lime green and red/green varieties and absolutely love them. Some of the most attractive plants in my shade garden!
Hardiness Zones: 3-9
Sun exposure: Part shade, full shade
Height: 24″-36″
Width: 24″
Bloom time: Spring
Bloom Color: White, grown for colorful foliage
Watering: Average
Soil: Well draining, rich soil
Availability: Direct Gardening