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Comments on shade perennials
In article . net,
"SugarChile" wrote: "animaux" wrote in message Heuchera is a plant I can't keep looking good. Maybe if I went back to the species instead of the more burgundy foliage, newer varieties. Maybe try Lady's Mantle this year. 'Purple Palace' sits there begging to be transported to the north! Purple Palace is not that easy to please here in the north, either. I've moved my purple leafed ones around a good bit, trying to find a spot they like. They like shade, especially from the afternoon sun, but if it's too shady they don't color up well. They are also fussy about moisture. I experimentally planted one Purple Palace in fairly deep shade with only indirect morning sun, another was in a somewhat dryer spot with afternoon sunlight. For the first full year they were not the best looking plants in their areas by a long shot, & I often considered moving them away from path edges so they wouldn't be quite so visible, but I didn't move them. Second year they were reasonably nice plants, but not exceptional, the one in more sunlight slightly more interesting. But the third year, both became amazing plants, huge & bushy with fabulous coloration & presence; the one in deeper shade "caught up" & surprassed the one that gets more sun. Even their wussy little sprays of inconsequential flowers became gorgeous, quite bright & long-lasting. Both now achieve equally excellent colors, whether bit of sun or hardly any they look just stunning, with the one in shade being more fully evergreen through winter, getting scruffy only near spring, the one in more light is scruffy earlier in winter though not a bad presence. By just being patient with them, I ended up with a couple of great specimens, even though they came close to being banished to unimportant areas. I've the sense that they are adaptable to a broad range of conditions & will EVENTUALLY be good plants but only after their root system get big, & that could take up to two full seasons of comparative mediocrity. I later planted "Dale's Strain" heuchera which has fabulous late-winter bright-orange coloration, is the rest of the year green with silver motteling. They've only been in the ground one year so like the "Purple Palace" are not specimen-worthy at this young age, though adequate & interesting groundcovers; I'm expecting that at the end of their second year, they'll likewise begin to look exceptional. Though I've not much experience with a lot of heuchera cultivars, my sense is that the fancier ones are just slow to reach their ideal appearance & they take their time becoming awesome. I last year added tiarellas, which were delightful spring through autumn. They're supposed to be evergreen but compared to the heucheras their winter appearance is crappy, for their first winter at least. I'll be patient with them, they too may be finer plants with each year of growth, but if they continue always to be beaten-up-looking in winter, I'll probably never add others but would prefer additional heucheras. There seem to be about 40 or 50 new cultivars of tiarellas flooded onto the market, but if truth be told, only three or four strikingy different ones, the majority all look pretty much the same. I also looked at some "heucherella" hybrids last year, which were definitely more to the tiarella side & not much like heucheras in appearance & I wasn't attracted to them enough to try even one. But they were young plants & I've never seen a mature specimen of heucherella to compare. I wonder if anyone here has experience with them & can compare their performance to heucheras & tiarellas per se when well-established in a garden. -paghat the ratgirl I've had a good experience with "Eco improved", green leaves, sort of, with cool colors in the veining. It makes itself at home, and even looks pretty good throughout the winter. It has a presence. Lady's mantle is another winner, for me. I love the way the leaves hold raindrops. It does aestivate in a hot, dry summer; I trim it back and wait for fresh new foliage. cheers, Sue Zone 6, Southcentral PA -- "Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher. "Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature. -from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers" See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/ |
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