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Hydrangea
| | Posted on Monday, July 18, 2005 - 09:38 pm: |   
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I was told by a perennial judge the other day that heucheras are short-lived plants. She said that when the crown gets a bit long you need to replant them deeper.
Does anyone have any comment? Mine are fairly young 2 years and I thought I would eventually divide them.
Hydrangea
- Ontario,
Zone "Canada 5b USA 4"
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Euphorbphreak
My Weather
My Time
| | Posted on Monday, July 18, 2005 - 10:48 pm: |
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Interesting. I've never heard they were short-lived, but I can see why you might want to restart them or plant deeper. I have several that are about 4 years old and definitely have a stalk on them now. But I was planning to just let them go and see what they would do. They still grow, bloom, everything just as before, but they do look odd with the stalk. Perhaps they are just short-lived for the effect you (and the judge) want from them? There's a patch of native Heucheras down the road from me that's been there for well over a decade, so I don't know if they are inherently short-lived. They do increase well, so division is an easy way to get more.
David, the other CA, 10/17 |
Jims_wsw
My Weather
| | Posted on Monday, July 18, 2005 - 10:52 pm: |
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Only a few heuchs that I've bought over the years have survived long enough to get to that point. But several have been divided, with the older section planted deeper than it had been before digging up. I even have offsprings from a plant I bought from Bluestone for my old garden back in the late 1980s. Think the name was chatterbox, hot pink flowers & green leaves. I moved a palace purple into 2 places when I did the new shade beds last year. I divided purple petticoats at least once, probably due to be planted deeper this Fall or next Spring.I put a portion of chocolate ruffles into a semi shady part of the sun garden this year to see if the foliage would become more red. I can't think of any failures I've had with dividing & planting deeper. Of the ones that did die, most were plants that my girlfriend & I split when they were just bought, I wouldn't try that again, but rather wait until the plant gets more growth.
Marie in Maine
Jims_wsw Maine zone 5a |
Hydrangea
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 19, 2005 - 07:09 pm: |
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Thanks for the postings and info Marie and David. Not much seems to be discussed in general on the net about heucheras and divisions.
Do they get off sets Marie? I presume this then is where you make the division?
Hydrangea
- Ontario,
Zone "Canada 5b USA 4"
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Jims_wsw
My Weather
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 20, 2005 - 12:13 am: |
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Yes. But right now I can't remember if they are approximately the same size or if the newer ones are smaller. Should have been in bed hours ago, but my hosta on ebay & gardenbuddies addictions keep me awake but not functioning too well.
Jims_wsw Maine zone 5a |
Gardenbug
| | Posted on Thursday, August 11, 2005 - 07:08 am: |
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I have a heuchera (Palace Purple?) that has been here for 8 years so far. It is huge. About 2-3 years ago an ant hill developed beneath it so I was forced to remove the heuchera and deal with the ants. The heuchera was replanted in the same spot later the same day and is once again flourishing.
In other locations here at the farm there are many types of heuchera, so many that I no longer keep track of their names. One in an island bed has offshoots that are small. Dividing the plants is quite easy.
Newest here is a Heuchera called 'Creme Brulee'which grows in sun to light shade in Zones 4-8a and should reach 12" tall.
I found this small bit on Google:
"Heucheras usually need dividing every four or five years, though some need it when younger and others can look great even at nine years without dividing. When the stem becomes woody, the plant falls open at the center or flowering is reduced, it is time to divide. The best time is in spring just before growth begins in earnest."
Gardenbug
- Ontario,
Zone "4/5"
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Muddy_boots
My Weather
My Garden
My Time
| | Posted on Friday, August 04, 2006 - 11:34 am: |
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Is it not reasonable to say, if a heuchera is parented from a woodland species where the crown is continuously covered by falling debris imply that the crown would except a small amount of light mulch,with out rotting it, as long as the drainage is very good. Hostas must be divided as well so it seems logical that heuchera need the same treatment unless naturalized. Reviewing the arguments from this thread, I think it is safe to say that the statement by the perennial judge is false. Note: It is a common practice to slowly add soil to the base of a J.Maple until it covers the site of the graft, this could also apply to other plants.
Muddy_boots
- Virginia ,
Zone "Freeze Zone 7a Heat Zone 7"
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