Purple Heucheras: The Darkest

Heuchera 'Obsidian', a brown foliage tinged with purple

The heuchera ‘Obsidian’ is a decorative groundcover reaching 30 cm in height. It features glossy leaves in a brown hue tinged with purple, almost black, reminiscent of the obsidian stone from which it derives its name. It flowers in June and July, producing clouds of small white to cream or pale yellow flowers that rise above its semi-evergreen leaves. It is one of the few heucheras that can thrive in sunny conditions and tolerates frost down to –29°C.

In the garden, you can have fun creating a bed that plays with contrasts between light green or golden and deep purple. Pair for instance the heuchera ‘Obsidian’ with an hosta ‘August Moon’ featuring golden lime green foliage and lavender flowers appearing from July to September. To add even more brightness, also plant some Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’, a persistent groundcover with golden foliage and yellow flowers from May to July. You can also add volume to your bed by planting some Japanese forest grass or Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’. This plant resembles small bamboos and forms cushions of linear, arching leaves that are variegated green and striated with gold.

Heuchera ‘Obsidian’

Heuchera 'Blackout', a foliage that is almost black-brown

The heuchera ‘Blackout’ features almost black brown foliage, standing 25 cm tall and evergreen. It is illuminated by a cloud of small cream-white flowers in June and July.

You can insert the heuchera ‘Blackout’ into a woodland scene. Place it in the shade of trees or bushes and pair it with ferns such as Asplenium scolopendrium ‘Undulatum Group’ with glossy light green, evergreen leaves. Add bluebells that bloom in countless clusters of charming, pendulous bright blue bells in April and May. To extend the flowering into summer, complement with hardy geraniums ‘Blue Sunrise’ that produce blue flowers turning to purple, from July to October, on golden green, finely cut foliage.

Heuchera ‘Blackout’

Heuchera 'Black Pearl', the darkest

If you love black in the garden, choose the heuchera ‘Black Pearl’. C’est the heuchera with the darkest foliage in the range. While it is black on the top, its foliage has a mauve-pink underside. Other qualities, this heuchera has evergreen foliage and is sun-resistant. Its foliage reaches a height of 30 cm, topped with airy white and pink flower spikes in July and August. The oldest leaves may take on silvery hues.

In a border or in a pot, you can pair this black-leaved heuchera with a Brunnera macrophylla ‘Diane’s Gold’ or Caucasian forget-me-not. The golden leaves of this forget-me-not and the small blue flowers appearing between April and June create a beautiful contrast with the very dark colour of the heuchera. To bring even more brightness and lightness, you can add a grass such as the Carex oshimensis ‘Everillo’ with its fine lemon-yellow or lime-green striped foliage.

Heuchera ‘Black Pearl’

Heuchera 'Black Beauty', a foliage with black and ruby red highlights

The heuchera ‘Black Beauty’ features deep purple-brown foliage with black and ruby red highlights. Shiny and undulating, it reaches a height of 25 cm, is evergreen, and tolerates full sun. In June, it is topped with small, airy clusters of white to pink flowers.

In a pot or in a border, you can pair it with vibrant tulips such as the Double Late Tulip ‘Orange Princess’, which offers a deep orange flowering with slight green and copper flames, in April and May. These 35 cm tulips resemble peonies. Complete the display with the autumnal hues of other heucheras like the heuchera ‘Caramel’ in apricot and copper tones or the heuchera ‘Marmelade’ with colours ranging from golden bronze to orange, pink, and shades close to café au lait.

Heuchera ‘Black Beauty’

Heuchera 'Bella Notte', a beautiful purple-brown foliage

The heuchera ‘Bella Notte’ boasts stunning purple-brown evergreen foliage. Measuring 25 cm in height, it is enhanced by the bright pink of its small flowers that appear from June to August. Its airy flower spikes can be used to add lightness to your rose bouquets and cut flower arrangements.

This heuchera tolerates full sun exposure. Take advantage of this quality by planting it in a rockery and pairing it with Ceratostigma plumbaginoides which will provide a beautiful contrast with its medium green foliage early in the season that turns bright red to bronze from September onwards. Small flowers of vibrant gentian blue brighten its foliage from August to October.

Heuchera ‘Bella Notte’

Heuchera 'Midnight Rose', an astonishing black foliage speckled with pink

The heuchera ‘Midnight Rose’ features original foliage, black speckled with pink. On this foliage reaching 25 cm in height and evergreen, clouds of small white or cream flowers appear in June and July.

You can plant the heuchera ‘Midnight Rose’ in the garden or in a decorative pot. Pair it with variegated green and white hostas such as the Hosta sieboldii ‘Silver Kabitan’. This miniature plant has narrow white leaves edged in green and produces purple flower spikes from June to August. Another idea is to combine in the garden the heuchera ‘Midnight Rose’ with decorative white and green cabbages like Brassica oleracea ‘Popof’ or decorative green and purple cabbages.

Heuchera ‘Midnight Rose’

For further reading

• To learn more, check out our comprehensive sheet dedicated to the cultivation of heucheras and discover our complete collection of heucheras.
• To avoid any failures, we advise you to plant appropriately; feel free to adopt our Plantfit web application!