Heuchera......It's a love hate thing!

The 1st Heuchera bought for this garden in 2010.

I'm sure I'm not alone in having a love-hate relationship with a specific genre of plants.  It's an on-going itch that just never stops!!

My specific itch or should that be itches are Heuchera - sitting in their droves in the GCs - their impressive, perfect, multi-coloured foliage rarely fails to turn heads.  Whether they are bought to do a specific job or just another impulse buy, I will always be a sucker for them!  They will brighten up a dull corner, provide lush colourful foliage, contrast beautifully with their neighbours, their height a spread make them an ideal front of border choice or just fill a gap when nothing else seems to fit - I can always find another space to plant one!  

So you see that sales pitch technique works every time!  Obviously, I'm a victim of the marketing ploy! I'm visually drawn in every time!!...need I say more!

Where does the 'hate' come into it? - I hear you ask!

My opinion is that these plants always look like they are giving 100% or they are a total disappointment and looking like they've seen better days, there is NEVER a happy medium, it seems, in my garden.  Between you and I, I've actually lost count of just how many have bitten the dust or gone to that great big compost bin in the sky.

Until recently, when not looking their best, I just dug them out, without giving very much consideration to what the actual problem was.  Yes, the phrase 'More Money than Sense' has been said to me on many an occasion.

A specific pest for these plants are Vine Weevil Beetles (VWB) and their larvae are one of the most common problems for these plants, so when ever one turned up it's toes or like tumble weed, took off across the garden at first breeze - they were 'out of here' tout suite!!

VWB!

Since taking to the world wide web to search for solutions, it seems that apart from the dreaded beetle there are more common problems than I originally thought.....  

• Planting to deep - causes crown rot
• Planting to shallow - causes the plant to heave (particularly in winter when freezing occurs)
• Mulch to thickly - a winter tip to help protect against heaving - causes crown rot
• Caterpillars - I have found  that caterpillars hide on the underside and munch the foliage
• Slugs - although not generally said to be a pest - those tiny little beige coloured slugs get right down inside the crown and devour the newest and softest of foliage
• Vine Weevil Beetle/Larvae - the adult eats the leaves and the female lays her eggs where the larvae mature by munching on the roots below
• Poorly drained/waterlogged soil - after far too much rain 2012 - I found  that those where the soil remained wet for weeks on end - began suffering
• Rabbits/Mice - will nibble on stems and leaves

Strangely enough, I have found in the past the the zingy lime green heuchera DO NOT like my garden, 3 or so attempts have been utter failure - they were gone within weeks, if not days of planting!  The jury is out as to why - but it was definately not the dreaded VWB - the plant roots were given a through post mortem and for plants to disappear so quickly there surely would have been sign of grubs but none were found.  Mice/Rabbits are the primary suspect in so far as I'm concerned!
Some plants just go! - it's as simple as that - 2 specimens planted adjacent to each other - 1 has thrived and 1 just gave up the ghost!  Investigation again, showed no sign of the VWB!
Even growing them in containers, with strict chemical control aimed at the larvae of the VWB - brought no success with one or two. Again, I ruled out VWB!

There are possibly numerous other reasons - I have yet to discover - but the ones above are I'm convinced are the top causes in my garden.  Advice I would give would be ensure you plant at the correct level when taking out of the pot, be vigilant for caterpillars, slugs and VWB, first signs will be apparent on the leaves and ensure adequate drainage.  If you are going to mulch - make sure the crown is not covered.

Heuchera Marmalade Summer 2012

If you discover one of your prized plants isn't doing quite as it should, all is not lost!  These are very forgiving plants and as I've discovered can easily be rescued.  How?  It's simple - remove the plant from the ground (or container) remove as much of the soil or compost around the roots as is possible.  Checking for grubs as you go.  If in doubt do not reuse spent compost (if container grown) unless you can be 100% sure there are no grubs. If growing in the ground root around in the soil for grubs or signs of grubs.
Under a running tap - wash off all remaining soil/compost.  It's at this stage you will see how the plant can be divided - divide sections with as much root as possible and double check each section for grubs.  They can get right inside the stalky part of the plant.  I would recommend the same practice even if your plant has suffered any of the other problems I mention above.  Better to be safe than sorry.  Once you have your divisions ready for planting - I use a mix of Multi-purpose compost/JI (what ever I have to hand) and some grit for drainage.  Pot them up into individual pots or 3 or 4 into a larger container ensuring an even spacing to allow for growth.  Water in and place in a sheltered position, your plant will soon begin to recover.  Other advice I have read or been given is to use peat free compost - tried this and to be honest I can't say I noticed the difference, plants in both mediums recovered - so the jury is out on that one!  Mulching with grit or gravel is said to make it more difficult for adult VWB to lay her eggs - this I haven't tried, therefore can't comment as to whether is works or not.

Not all is doom and gloom in the Heuchera department - please feel free to check out my pictures from 2012 and just how good these plants look when they are happy

Of course, if you know of other problems please do share it with us - the more the merrier!

Do you have a love-hate relationship with any of your plants?  Have you tried and failed miserably to grow a specific plant in your garden?  Had an obsession! - how did you beat it?