A plant breeder is a special person. It's their job to stretch the limits of a plant's capabilities. With Heucherella, our breeders have crossed not 2 species, but 2 genera. By taking Heuchera, with its myriad forms and colors and crossing it to Tiarella, with a palette defined by leaf-shape, growth habit, and dark-centers, a vast array of new hybrids have resulted. Some of the Heuchera seen today can involve 5 separate species (and a hundred cultivars), and the Tiarella can carry the blood of 3 different species. Any math student understanding permutations will cross their eyes to the possibilities these crosses can present.

Enter the Heucherella (hew-ker-ella). There is not much history in this plant. Lemoine started the show by introducing the first cross by the illegitimate name of Heucherella tiarelloides. Much later, Blooms of Bressingham introduced H. 'Bridget Bloom' and Tony Huber from Norseco launched H. 'Rosalie' in 1983. Both were good plants, but lacked a whole lot of interest due to rather mundane crosses. Charles Oliver stepped up the breeding a notch with his superior "Tinian" series, later renamed and promoted by Terra Nova® under the names of H. 'Snow White' and H. 'Pink Frost'. He has continued to introduce new forms.

Starting with H. 'Viking Ship', H. 'Crimson Clouds', H. 'Cinnamon Bear', and H. 'Cranberry Ice', Terra Nova® tried to break the mold of the "classic" Heucherella with vigorous new forms with unusual foliage and improved flowers. Ensuing plants included H. 'Kimono' which floored visiting Tony Avent when he saw this yard-wide plant with distinctive leaves in our gardens. The same year (1999) saw the launch of the hard to beat H. 'Dayglow Pink', a compact plant with masses of flowers.

PROPAGATION

Heucherellas propagate well in the spring with clump division, spacing the pieces 16" apart to create a larger mass. The stems are not fleshy like Heuchera and thus do not have the same ability to propagate from these parts. Foamy Bells are sterile, so seed propagation is impossible.

Is it possible to make your own crosses? Of course. Both Heuchera and Tiarella have very small flowers and very small seed. Only a very small percentage of crosses will produce seed. This is not to discourage breeders, just fair warning.

Seed germinates at 70 degrees F surface-sown on a moist (covered) media. Acclimatize the seedlings at 2-3 leaves and at that point they can be pricked into small plugs and shifted to larger pots as the roots fill them. At Terra Nova® this is done with tens of thousands of crosses each year.

IN THE GARDEN

Heucherellas are essentially a shade groundcover. Pink to creamy-white flowers come forth from mid-spring (May here) to early summer with sporadic bloom afterwards into fall. They are relatively drought tolerant, but appreciate a summer watering. Even the most desiccated plant will surprise you by perking up soon after a watering. In fact the best way to kill a Heucherella is to overwater it or plant it in clay. The importance of drainage is paramount to happy plants! (This goes for Heuchera and Tiarella as well) Foliage varies greatly between cultivars, but there is a good enough selection to work with many other plants. Do note that the height some varieties top out at 10" and some can get up to 22", so pay attention to the description on the tag or in the catalog. Spread also varies from 12" for H. 'Dayglow Pink' to 30" for H. 'Kimono'. We mulch our beds yearly with bark, taking care that the crowns of the plants are not buried (another way to kill them!) They are evergreen in milder climates.

USES IN THE GARDEN

We feel that Heucherellas are "front and center" border plants, excellent near pathways and amongst the ferns and woodlanders. They are equally at home in a rock garden tolerating much more sun than you might imagine, but preferring afternoon shade if at all possible. Newer forms like H. 'Kimono', 'Alabama Sunrise' and 'Sweet Tea' are large enough that they can stand alone as a specimen or fill a container independently. Smaller, "flower-power" plants like H. 'Dayglow Pink' can make quite an impact when planted in large masses.

IN CONTAINERS/COMBINATIONS

We pulled a phrase from child's report card: Plays well with others. This describes the non-aggressive Heucherella. As you would not but aggressive fish in a tank with guppies, you should be careful about choosing the "rella's" companions in the pot. Use Sutera (Bacopa) instead of Ipoemea (Sweet Potato Vine). Mix with diminutive Astilbe, fine ivies, ferns and Hosta and you'll have a happy pot.