Plants of the Week -
For the shade: Liriope and Heucheras
As of late we have been featuring a lot of sun lovers: Penstemons, Gaura, Gaillardias and the like. This week we'll give the shade plants equal time although both of the following will take some amount of sun.
Variegated Liriope (Lilyturf)
This plant is a popular ground cover in many areas of the country for a good reason. It is a handsome ground cover or edger with strappy grass like foliage growing to about a foot tall that brightens up a darker corner of the garden. The variegated variety we have is green edged with ivory and has light purple muscari (grape hyacinth) type flowers to about 18" tall. I have had three of these plants edging a tall abutilon in a large pot for several years. Although many of the websites say they like regular water, mine have survived periods of neglect. Due to some overzealous pruning on my part this spring, my Liriope is getting more sun this year and not liking it all that much. So my advice is to save Liriope for the semi-shaded areas in your yard where it will really stand out with its variegation.
Heuchera
This perennial has been an old standby in the garden for years because of its durability and reliability. However, in recent years there has been an explosion in new forms and colors of Heucheras (coral bells). Plant breeders such as Dan Heims of Terra Nova Nurseries have introduced an ever expanding selection with new colors and new characteristics. Heucheras are now available in shades of coral, lime green, purple, silver and burgundy - some with deeply ruffled leaves. At Markham we are trying to expand our selection to include some of the newer varieties. Currently our collection includes Heucheras in a bright limelike green, a large leafed bronze and a curly deep burgundy - we plan to offer even more varieties later. Grown primarily for their foliage, Heucheras do bear stalks of tiny red or white flowers which attract bees and butterflies. They look good in a lightly shaded or partially shaded locations with most growing 1-3' feet tall and 1-2' wide. These are tough plants that look good in a woodland setting or at the front of larger shrubs.
Editor's note:... the Heuchera we currently have in the Nursery are described in the text above; the picture is for illustration of the variety of Heuchera possible...
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