Heuchera sanguinea 'Leuchtkäfer'

Heuchera sanguinea 'Leuchtkäfer', also known as Bloody Geranium or poetically Despair of Painters, is a luminous plant. It is distinguished by its bright and abundant summer flowering in dark scarlet red flower panicles, large for the genus. It emerges from a dense cushion of dark green foliage marbled with silver, evergreen, rounded and lightly lobed. It is a recent cultivar that adapts well to limestone soils and is more drought-resistant.

Heuchera sanguinea 'Leuchtkäfer' belongs to the saxifraga family. Heuchera sanguinea, from which it originates, is found in nature from Arizona to New Mexico, where it grows in arid canyons. It has passed on to its descendants, mutations and hybrids a certain resistance to drought. 'Leuchtkäfer' is a low and spreading cushion-shaped cultivar. The plant reaches 60 cm (24in) in height when flowering, 30 cm (12in) for the foliage, and 40 cm (0 and 16in) in diameter. The flowering, melliferous and fragrant, takes place in June-July. Thin stems emerge from the foliage, bearing panicles 15 cm (6in) long, consisting of numerous tubular flowers in dark scarlet to crimson, large for the genus. The rounded leaves, lightly lobed and toothed on the edges, are covered with glandular hairs and are dark green marbled with light silver and pale green. It is a perennial plant with a rhizomatous root system with a shallow root system.

'Leuchtkäfer', the name of the variety, means firefly in German, a reference to its luminous foliage with its silver reflections. Plant it at the base of old roses with light pink flowers, whose light and bright flowering will amaze. 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 border, this heuchera energizes the garden. Combine it with hostas, grasses, and ferns for a wild effect. Place a contrasting mulch at its feet in a rock garden to highlight its beautiful foliage. Pair this heuchera with blue flowers, the only shade it lacks, and it will be a perfect complement. Heuchera is ideal for filling pots, containers, and flower beds. A good cut flower, the graceful bells of this plant bring a lot of lightness to bouquets.

In all European gardens, heucheras with trembling stems and tiny bells were fashionable in the 19th century. They were named "Despair of Painters" by the Impressionist painters, perhaps because of their delicate flowering that was difficult to capture in an image, swaying at the slightest breeze.