Why Heuchera Is An Excellent Choice For Perennial Container Displays
Elizabeth is a Permaculture Garden Designer, Sustainability Consultant and Professional Writer, working as an advocate for positive change. She graduated from the University of St. Andrews with an MA in English and Philosophy and obtained a Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design from the Permaculture Association.
Reviewed By PETER LICKORISH
Peter is a Horticulture Lecturer and self-employed Horticulturist, with a passion for diverse areas of the industry - from garden design to the science behind plant growth and propagation. He has completed the Royal Horticultural Society’s Master of Horticulture (MHort) Award and lectures on RHS courses at Bedford College.
IN THIS GUIDE
Heucheras are incredibly versatile and hardy perennial plants that can work very well in a wide range of garden settings.
They are commonly grown at the front of garden borders, but you might be wondering whether you can also grow heuchera in pots.
Should You Grow Heuchera In Pots?
The good news is that heuchera can quite easily and effectively be grown in containers.
In fact, they can be an excellent choice for perennial container displays.
Growing heuchera in containers can be a particularly good idea where garden soils are heavy and prone to waterlogging since these are plants that cannot cope with those conditions.
Choosing Pots For Coral Bells
When choosing a container for heuchera, you should first think about how long the plants will be in their containers for.
Often, you may grow heuchera temporarily in pots, before you place them out into your garden.
This can be a good strategy for enabling smaller plants to increase in size, before being planted in the jostling of a mixed border.
In this case, you will need only smaller pots, since the plants will be planted out before they get the chance to outgrow them.
If you plan on growing heucheras in a container longer term, you must ensure that it is large enough to accommodate the roots with just a little space around the sides.
In either case, it is also important to make sure that the container has good drainage holes at the base.
Sourcing Compost
Fill your chosen container or containers with a suitable compost or growing medium.
Any good-quality peat-free potting mix, with some extra grit mixed in to improve drainage, should work well.
This can be a mix you purchase or one that you make yourself at home.
Potting Up Heuchera
When potting up Heuchera, the most important thing to note is that you must plant so that the centre or crown is at, or very slightly above, the surface of the soil.
How Many Can You Plant Per Pot?
You can place a single plant in a pot, or, in larger containers or planters, you can consider planting heucheras alongside other plants in mixed displays.
Heuchera does well with the related plants Heucherella and Tiarella as companions since these plants like the same growing conditions.
You could also combine them in larger containers with a range of other plants.
Potted Heuchera Care
Here are some of the key things to consider when growing your heuchera in a container:
- Place heuchera in pots in dappled or partial shade unless you have a darker leaved variety and want to bring out more intensity in the leaves, in which case placing them in a sunnier spot can be a good idea.
- Water regularly and remember that plants in containers will need to be watered more frequently than those in the ground. Water well throughout dry spells in spring and summer.
- Make sure that excess water can drain away freely and that no waterlogging takes place. In winter, if it is very wet, move containers to a sheltered or undercover spot if they are at risk of becoming too soggy.
- Add a mulch of homemade compost or other organic matter around the plants in the spring.
- Provide regular liquid organic plant feeds (such as compost tea) to heuchera growing in containers over the spring and summer months.
- Trim off spent flowering stems if you wish, and tidy up the plant by trimming off damaged leaves.
- Lift and divide your heucheras every few years to keep them healthy and vigorous.
“I have one command I consider essential if growing heuchera in pots: keep on the look-out for vine weevil,” shares Master Horticulturist Peter Lickorish.
“In my experience, their root-eating grubs usually cause significantly more damage in containers.
“If you spot any wilting when the compost is moist, this is a sign that the roots have been chewed.
“If the pest is spotted, plants can be lifted and vine weevils around the roots disposed of.
“Replant in fresh compost and in this way, plants can be saved.”