Heuchera [June 21, 2026]

This week for TWIG, I may be a little late in publishing, and bare bones in format. I'm on a long flight back from some days gardening in my project in Geneva, Switzerland, and navigating airline internet issues. Thanks for your patience with me and a TWIG written with my thumbs on my phone in the air!

 

This week, I'm going to be less philosophical and "plant nerd" out a little bit. I'd like to zoom in on a group of perennials: Heuchera.

 

If you've gardened for any length of time, you certainly know them. Common names used for Heuchera are Coral Bells—supposedly because of their tall stems of inflorescence with tiny bell-shaped flowers of a coral color. Also sometimes used is Alum Root—the roots of the perennial have an astringent quality used in Native medicines to assist in blood clotting or treat mouth sores. I had to look up both of these for the reasoning behind them, neither of which I think are particularly great common names. I think that Heuchera has been in the trade and garden use long enough now to just be called by its proper name.

 

Botanical names can seem intimidating, but they are the clearest way to talk about plants. Common names can imply many different plants depending on who is speaking and qualities that may or may not particularly apply. I am probably unlikely to dig an Alum Root if I snip myself with a secateur. Heuchera means exactly one genus.

 

That word — genus — is a good place to begin.

 

Heuchera is a genus of roughly forty to fifty species, almost all native to North America. Think of genus + species as the plant's "scientific first and last name."

 

The plants we find in garden centers today, however, are rarely straight species. Most are hybrids selected and bred for exceptional foliage color, vigor, heat tolerance, or flowering.

 

When you read a label that says Heuchera 'Caramel', the first word tells you the genus. The word in quotation marks is the cultivar—the particular named selection. Occasionally you'll also see a species name, such as Heuchera villosa, but many of the perennial plants we grow today have such mixed parentage that the cultivar name tells us far more than the species ever could.

 

One of the interesting things about learning botanical names is that you begin to see family relationships. Heuchera belongs to the Saxifrage family, Saxifragaceae. Its closest relatives include Tiarella (Foamflower), and when the two are crossed, the result is × Heucherella—a hybrid whose name literally combines both parents. That little multiplication sign is simply botanical shorthand for "this plant is a hybrid."

 

Understanding these relationships can tell us something about how families of plants behave as much as how they are named.

 

As garden plants, I think Heuchera merit their popularity, their close relatives Tiarella and Heucherella as well. They offer handsome foliage from early spring until winter, come in an astonishing range of colors, and fit comfortably into almost any mixed perennial border—from partial sun to a fair amount of shade. They ask for relatively little while contributing for much of the season.

 

Not every Heuchera, however, is equally happy in every garden.

 

Many varieties were developed and are grown in the cool summers of the Pacific Northwest. These varieties can struggle in our Mid-Atlantic heat and humidity. Over the years, breeders have increasingly relied on the native Heuchera villosa to improve heat tolerance, producing hybrid cultivars that perform much better in gardens like where I garden primarily, in the Mid-Atlantic region.

 

It's worth paying attention to botanical names and where a variety was developed. Nursery tags usually show this information. When I see new cultivars and wildly colorful leaves of some Heuchera in nurseries and garden centers, I intentionally look for where the plant came from. If it has been grown in the Pacific Northwest, I may pass it, or roll the dice and give it a try knowing it may be prone to melt in the hot, humid summers where I garden primarily. If I find cultivars more locally grown I feel more confident in their resistance to the region's conditions. This is just a good way to manage expectations.

 

I mostly value Heuchera for its interesting, colorful foliage. I think it's its primary asset. It is of good value to any garden to add color with leaf, rather than relying entirely on flower. Colorful foliage is much more persistent than flowering, and Heuchera, particularly when mass planted, can really make a long-lasting seasonal statement.

 

However, they also do flower. In bloom, we're looking at something botanists call an inflorescence. The individual flowers are tiny. The inflorescence is the entire flowering stem and all of the flowers together.

 

Some cultivars produce airy sprays that seem to float above the foliage, adding movement without demanding attention. Others carry heavier stems that become almost a feature in themselves. Is this inflorescence attractive or additive? An interesting debate. I confess I don't always love them. On some varieties the flowers are OK. On others, I find the foliage is the real performance and I'm happy to remove the flowering stems as soon as they start to fade—sometimes even before! I am not here to say I am the arbiter of Heuchera flowering—it is a debate even among my own team. I am just saying if you think Heuchera flowers look, well, kind of messy, you are not alone.

 

Deadheading (or just removing the inflorescence) is simple. Follow the spent flower stem all the way back into the crown of the foliage and remove it cleanly with a secateur. A good gardener's trick, if you want to move more quickly, is what I call the "push-pull" method. Grab a stem or three of the inflorescence, "push" it into the crown of the plant, then "pull" and it will snap off cleanly from the foliar stem of the plant. And, while you are there, all up close and personal, take a moment to remove any damaged or tattered leaves. Sometimes, when plants begin to grow woody or heave upward, the "push-pull" will pull off a stubby stem of the plant. These can be replanted, digging the thick, hard stems directly into the garden soil.  They may take take, they may not, but always worth a try.

 

If you are more interested in flowers, Tiarella (whose common name is "Foamflower") is maybe a better choice. Its flower is shorter and fuller—the word frothy comes to mind. While Tiarella leaves are smaller, they can still be interesting. Many cultivars also have the habit of spreading into a ground cover. If happy, they can be a real asset. Bridging the gap are Heucherella—the cross between Heuchera and Tiarella. These hybrids carry a little of the best from both plants—showy leaves and attractive inflorescences. They have not been super long available in the trade. I'm sure there are lots of new cultivars to come.

 

Here is where I was going to list some favorite Heuchera cultivars, but I'm going to resist it. The world of Heuchera et al. is changing so fast, and cultivars that used to be commonly available seem to be constantly replaced with new ones. Maybe better we just plan a Heuchera discussion in "A Growing Conversation" sometime, and we can all share our favorites (and our disappointments).

 

So, there we have some real nerding out on Heuchera and its close relatives—about botanical names, plant families, modern hybridization, the use of colorful foliage for the garden, and strong opinions about inflorescence. All from over the Atlantic at about 35,000 feet.

 

Until next week, with my own feet back on the ground,

 

Mike