Monday, March 28, 2011

COLOR-MAD MONDAY: MY NEW FAVORITE PLANT



"The Big Freeze" that we had this year gave me reason to reassess some of the plants that were in my garden.  I don't want any plants that I have to run out and cover each time it dips below freezing.


This Heuchera/Coral Bells came through with flying colors.  This particular one is a newish relative of the Palace Purple and Chocolate Ruffles varieties that became wildly popular some years back, and it looked fantastic next to the zonal geranium, toffee-colored sedge, and trailing burgundy sedum that I planted next to it.  The sedge and geranium pooped out within a few months, but the sedum and heucheras were real troopers, requiring no effort from me whatsoever.  At the end of winter all I did was trim off the outer layer of leaves, which had become a bit faded, so that I could better enjoy the rainbow of colors provided by the new growth underneath.


In other parts of the country, they can take full sun to partial shade, but here in Texas, with our strong summer sun, they are a great shot of color for our slightly shady areas.  The do eventually send up airy sprays of flowers that seem to float above the foliage, but they are a mere afterthought, when you have striking foliage like this, year round.  I'm off to the nursery now, to see how many different varieties I can find, for I plan to fill all my shady spots with them!

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