These plants form a hybrid genus resulting from crosses between Heuchera and Tiarella. They are evergreen clump or mat forming perennials with broadly ovate or heart shaped leaves with bold veining. The flood of new varieties with distinctive leaf colours is as considerable in x Heucherella as it is in Heuchera and it is difficult for growers and gardeners to keep up. These plants stand out on the sales shelves in garden centres and x Heucherella ‘Sweet Tea’, with its maple-like orange leaves and maroon veining, has been instantly popular and is likely to remain so.
x Heucherella are fully hardy and make colourful groundcover plants. Their young and often hairy leaves are shaded brown and the leaves turn reddish-brown towards autumn. The flowers are loose panicles of tubular bell shaped pink or white flowers which are borne over a long period from spring to early autumn.
x Heucherella grow well in full sun or partial shade and will do perfectly well in fuller shade although here their habit becomes more lax and less compact. They prefer light soils which are well drained.
Propagation is easiest by lifting and dividing clumps to separate off smaller plantlets for growing on or replanting in the autumn or spring. x Heucherella are not as prone to rotting off in waterlogged conditions as Heuchera but they can be just as susceptible to vine weevil when grown in pots.
The array of different foliage colours can be seen in the following photographs.
