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In landscaping not only garden plots, but also city flower beds, landscape designers widely use the perennial plant - heuchera. The large, showy leaves of the plant surprise with their variety of colors, harmoniously combining with each other and other plants. However, blood-red heuchera is one of the most attractive, bright species, which, thanks to its color, can completely transform a garden design and add a piquant, carmine-rich note to it.
Description of heuchera blood red
Heuchera blood-red is a decorative herbaceous perennial, the leaves of which are collected in a rosette from 20 to 50 cm high, depending on the type and variety. The shrub has long, graceful stalks with bright purple flowers. Large, pubescent leaves are unusually showy and decorative, decorating the garden from early spring to late autumn.The plant blooms for quite a long time - almost all summer, with small flowers collected in paniculate inflorescences, located on high peduncles. Blood red heuchera does not have pronounced main stems and has a fleshy, powerful rhizome that can adapt to unfavorable growing conditions.
Blood red heuchera varieties
Blood-red heucheras are characterized by a green rosette of leaves and a corresponding bright, carmine-red, purple, even burgundy color of flowers. At the beginning of the growing season, the leaves are translucent, but gradually change their color, acquiring an increasingly intense, dark shade. Many blood-red varieties have a jagged, corrugated or curly leaf texture with white or marbled splashes, which further enhances the decorative value of the crop.
Heuchera blood red Coral Forest
The variety forms a rosette of incredibly beautiful green leaves with marble veins from the very early spring. They decorate the garden until late autumn. In summer, bright coral flowers appear on strong peduncles, about 30 cm high, which harmoniously combine with the foliage.
Heuchera blood red splendence
Heuchera blood-red Splendence is a very large, up to 50 cm in height, beauty whose green leaves organically set off the carmine-red flowers. They are collected in compact inflorescences, surprising with their attractive power during flowering, which lasts from July to August.
Heuchera blood-red Leichtkafer
This is a small-flowered blood-red heuchera with green leaves, up to 40 cm high, with small, red glossy flowers. The duration of its flowering is from the beginning to the end of summer.
Heuchera blood red Ruby Bells
The height of the leaf rosette of the Ruby Bells variety is 25 cm with the height of the peduncles up to 40 cm. The serrated green leaves with a gray, marbled pattern are very attractive. Very small bell flowers have a richly bright color, they are collected in graceful inflorescences.
Other varieties
Among the other varieties of blood-red heuchera, there are several more popular ones:
- Robusta – large-flowered, with rich red inflorescences, pleasing with their attractiveness in June-July. Closer to autumn, the leaves acquire a burgundy color;
- Bresingham - a very large crop, the stems of which reach a height of up to 60 cm, and its flowers are not only red, but also white and pink. It blooms in mid-summer;
- Red-leaved – as is clear from the name of the variety, it has a red tint of foliage with a stem height of up to 50 cm. Flowering from June to August;
- Heuchera Forever Red (always red) – refers to the new products of 2017, the Forever series. This variety is indeed not just red, but hyperred. The bushes are compact, with a wide crown, of medium size - 20 - 30 cm. The leaves differ not only in their “redness” but also in their shape and gloss: carved, with curl and shine. Heuchera Forever Red, preferring partial shade, is not capricious towards the sun.
Heuchera blood-red in landscape design
Blood-red heuchera is a favorite of landscape designers, as it is one of the few ornamental crops that can diversify the garden with a brightly saturated color palette of all possible shades. Of course, additional advantages in the widespread use of blood-red heuchera in the garden landscape are its unpretentiousness and preservation of decorative qualities throughout the growing season.
The culture looks great in both single and group plantings - mixed or single. Use blood-red heuchera for decoration:
- flower beds, flower beds, mix borders;
- rockeries and rock gardens;
- coastline of household ponds;
- borders and edges of garden paths.
Blood-red heuchera is planted in the trunk circles of tall tree species, covering empty spaces; successfully combined with almost all beautifully flowering crops and herbaceous perennials. The composition of dwarf shrubs in combination with blood-red heuchera looks harmonious. You can combine it with hostas, primroses, ornamental grasses, astilbes, brunners.
A flowerbed with early flowering bulbous crops, the fragile graceful flowering of which is effectively set off by bloody heuchera, looks gorgeous. She will also be an excellent companion for the queen of flowers – the rose. In rock gardens, heuchera looks great with conifers, barberries, and bells. It is widely used by landscape designers in container compositions and single plantings in separate containers. Blood red heuchera flowers can be used for cutting and drying to make dry compositions.
Growing heuchera from seeds
Blood red heuchera can be easily grown from seeds.
The cultivation scheme is as follows:
- a drainage layer of expanded clay is poured onto the bottom of the container, loose, fertile soil from a mixture of humus, peat and sand is laid on top;
- small seeds of blood-red heuchera are not deepened, but sprinkled on top of moist soil and sprinkled with sand in very small quantities;
- cover the container with plastic film or glass, periodically ventilating and slightly moistening it;
- after 3 - 4 weeks, shoots appear, the film is removed;
- when 2 - 3 true leaves appear, seedlings are picked into separate small containers;
- Water them moderately, avoiding over-watering.
Planting and caring for blood-red heuchera in open ground
The winter-hardy, unpretentious crop thrives in the southern and central regions of the country. But it can also be successfully grown in Siberia, protected from frost for the winter. Every 4 - 5 years, the bushes require rejuvenation by dividing the rhizome and replanting, due to the rapid growth rate. Caring for blood-red heuchera is simple - it is undemanding to abundant watering and fertilizing. Periodically, it is important to loosen the soil followed by mulching with tree bark or peat. It is necessary to mulch before wintering.
When growing unpretentious blood-red heuchera, problems may still arise:
- lodging or breaking of long peduncles during the wind, which indicates that it is better to select a place protected from winds and drafts;
- the growth of the base above the soil level indicates the obligatory annual hilling of the plant;
- rot of the root system due to waterlogging of the soil.
It is worth saying that in a dry summer without watering, the bloody heuchera will suffer from a lack of moisture.Therefore, the event must be organized correctly.
Preparing the landing site
The place for blood-red heuchera should be bright, with a light, openwork shadow in the hot midday hours. It is better to plant the plant on the eastern or western side of the garden plot. The crop prefers loose, neutral soil with low acidity. Before planting in acidic soil, you must add chalk, lime, dolomite flour or wood ash. The soil can be mixed with mineral fertilizers and compost.
Landing rules
A drainage layer of river sand and fine expanded clay must be laid at the bottom of planting holes with a diameter of 30x30. Next, prepared fertile soil is poured and the rhizomes of blood-red heuchera are buried until the leaf rosette begins. Fertile soil is added on top, lightly compacted and watered.
Watering and fertilizing
Heuchera prefers dry, not waterlogged places and can even withstand short-term drought. Water it no more than once a week, avoiding waterlogging and water stagnation. Otherwise, the root system of the plant will begin to rot.
Feeding blood-red heuchera comes down to rare application of mineral fertilizers. The dose usual for other garden crops is reduced by 2 times, since overfeeding the plant will lead to the development of diseases. In the first years of life, it takes all the substances necessary for growth and development from the soil.
Trimming
In spring, withered and dried leaves are removed.In autumn, pruning is not recommended, since the renewed heuchera is unlikely to be able to successfully overwinter. After pruning, the soil is hilled up and mulched with a mixture of peat, humus and river sand.
Preparing for winter
The plant does not need shelter for the winter in the southern and central regions. But young seedlings, as well as adult bushes, can freeze in particularly harsh winters or in Siberian conditions. To avoid this, the bushes are covered with spruce branches or fallen leaves.
A video about caring for heuchera will provide even more useful information:
Reproduction
Red heuchera can be propagated in several ways:
- seeds;
- cuttings;
- dividing the bush.
The seed method was mentioned above. Propagation by cuttings comes down to cutting rosettes without roots and digging up a bush. Some of the leaves are removed and the roots are lubricated with a stimulating solution. The planted cuttings are covered with plastic wrap, making a mini-greenhouse. The cuttings are regularly moistened and ventilated. The cuttings are ready to be transplanted to a permanent location within a month.
In May or August, blood-red heuchera can be planted by dividing the bush. The abundantly spilled plant is dug up and the rhizome is divided into separate parts with a sharp knife. On each division, healthy, young roots and a formed leaf rosette are left. The seedlings are immediately planted in a permanent place, preventing the root system from drying out.
Diseases and pests
Blood-red heuchera, like other varieties of the crop, is resistant to pests and diseases.However, incorrect agricultural practices, excessive soil moisture and a large amount of organic matter can provoke the following troubles:
- powdery mildew;
- spotting;
- the appearance of slugs.
Special means are used to combat pests and diseases. Damaged parts of the blood-red heuchera plant are removed, and in case of severe infestation, the bushes are eliminated completely.
Conclusion
Heuchera blood-red is an excellent choice for every gardener to decorate his own garden plot. The variety of varieties allows you to select the most suitable ones depending on the overall design of the landscape and nearby neighbors, which will most advantageously emphasize the delightful charm of heuchera in mixed garden compositions.
