Heuchera Berry Smoothie

The Heuchera 'Berry Smoothie' is the best variety of pink heuchera currently available on the market. Excellent in every way, this American selection is not only vigorous and heat-resistant, but remarkably pink-coloured throughout the year. Its foliage, which persists in winter, evolves from bright spring pink to violet-pink in autumn and winter. Its light summer flowering, with small white bell-shaped flowers dominating the cushion of leaves, accentuates its charm. Beautiful all year round, it is also an easy perennial to succeed in partial shade, in ordinary soil that is not too dry. It forms a superb ground cover in the company of other heucheras with colourful foliage, blue hostas, brunneras...

The 'Berry Smoothie' heuchera is a variety, recently introduced by Terra Nova Nurseries in the United States. It is a rhizomatous perennial plant of the Saxifragaceae family. This variety is the result of cross-breeding between the Heuchera villosa, which naturally grows on shaded and humid rocks in the Appalachian Mountains in the Northeastern United States, and the 'Heuchera americana, a North American species that tolerates dry and poor soils.

'Berry Smoothie' forms a regular and spreading clump 30 cm (12in) tall, 50 cm (20in) in diameter, 45 cm (18in) tall when in flower. Its growth is quite rapid, with a spreading habit. The background colour of its rounded and lobed leaves varies slightly with the seasons and temperature, but it remains dominated by pink tones, which are veined with purple-red. Autumn and early winter accentuate its purplish tone, which starts in summer. The foliage is evergreen in winter, except in very cold climates. The flowering takes place in July-August, in the form of panicles of tiny bell-shaped white flowers, carried by bright red stems.

Place the 'Berry Smoothie' heuchera at the base of old white-flowered roses, which its pink foliage will particularly enhance. It will also have a very nice effect as a border plant in a predominantly blue flowerbed: paired with Caucasian forget-me-nots, bellflowers, or Omphalodes verna. It can also be used as ground cover to fill the base of spring-flowering shrubs, and will thrive in a cool rockery. In a mass planting, it will bring a lot of elegance to the garden. Combine it with blue hostas ('Halcyon' or 'Blue Cadet'), grasses, and ferns for a wild effect. Heuchera is an ideal plant for filling your pots, containers, and flower boxes. This perennial attracts birds and butterflies. It will also accompany Astilbe chinensis in cool soil.