How to plant heucheras?

When to plant heucheras?

You can plant your heucheras in autumn or spring. Just avoid intervening during frost or extreme heat.

Where to plant them?

Plant them preferably in partial shade. Avoid direct sunlight for light-coloured, green, or yellow varieties, as it may scorch their leaves! If you wish to grow your heucheras in the sun, opt for dark varieties, such as Heuchera ‘Obsidian’, or those derived from Heuchera sanguinea, as they tolerate it much better! You can plant your heucheras as ground cover at the base of trees or bushes, in rockeries, or along borders.

They thrive in cool, well-drained soil. If your soil is heavy and clayey, you can add leaf mould or pumice to lighten it. They do not like waterlogged areas or overly poor or sandy soils, but they are not very sensitive to pH. Their root system is shallow, so the soil does not need to be deep. Heuchera appreciates rich, humus-bearing, and cool soils, so feel free to add potting soil and ensure it is in a soil that does not dry out too much during the summer.

Plant them in groups of at least three or five plants of the same variety, maintaining a minimum distance of 40 centimetres between plants. Do not hesitate to combine varieties with different shades to create a very colourful display!

Planting heucheras is quite simple; just follow a few points:

• A suitable location: plant in light soil and preferably in partial shade.
• If your soil is heavy, lighten it with leaf mould or pumice.
• Add compost to enrich the soil.
• Do not hesitate to bury the basal stem when planting.

Planting in beds

1. Start by placing the root ball in a basin filled with water for 10 minutes to facilitate later watering.
2. Dig a planting hole with a spade. If your soil is heavy, add leaf compost or pumice to lighten it. Fill the bottom of the hole.
3. Place the root ball. Do not hesitate to slightly bury the basal stem, up to the point of insertion of the leaves. Replace the soil around the plant and gently firm it down.
4. Water generously.
5. Apply a layer of mulch around the plant. This will help the soil retain its moisture.

Continue to water regularly in the weeks following planting to help it settle into your garden and begin its development.

Pot or container planting

Of small size and low maintenance, heucheras adapt very well to pot cultivation. You can place them in planters or bowls, for example in combination with bulbs, perennials, or small grasses. Choose a container that is wide and deep enough, 20 to 30 centimetres deep, and at least as wide. We recommend grouping several varieties of different colours or pairing them with perennials or bulbs.

1. Soak the root ball in a basin filled with water to facilitate watering
2. Place a drainage layer at the bottom of the pot made of gravel, clay balls, or broken pot pieces
3. Then add the substrate, ideally a potting soil mixed with a bit of sand
4. Place the root ball, burying the base of the stem slightly, up to the point where the leaves emerge. If your container is wide enough, we recommend positioning the heucheras at the edge of the pot rather than in the centre: this way, their foliage can spill over the edge, creating a more beautiful effect!
5. Add a bit of substrate if necessary and gently firm it around the plant
6. Water and place the pot in partial shade

The heuchera ‘Marmalade’ adapts very well to pot cultivation!