Heuchera Spice Curls™

Heuchera Spice Curls™: Purple-and-Silver Ruffles That Take the Sun

This heuchera woke up with the kind of curls people pay a salon a small fortune for. Deep purple ruffles with red undersides, and it swears it's all NATURAL. NOBODY BELIEVES IT.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Heuchera hybrid ('Holtspcur856')
• Common Name: Coral Bells
• Series: Bloomin' Easy®
• Height: 30–36 cm (12–14 in)
• Spread: 36–41 cm (14–16 in)
• Flowers: Red bells on upright spikes held above the leaves
• Bloom Time: Late spring to summer (June to August)
• Foliage: Dense, heavily curled and ruffled leaves, deep purple with a silvery sheen and red undersides
• Features: Keeps its colour into fall

Where to Plant: Put it at the front of a border, along a walkway or in a container where people will see the ruffles up close. The red undersides flash when the wind turns the leaves, so plant it where you walk past often. Afternoon shade helps in hot, dry spots.

Companion Plants: Amsonia 'Storm Cloud' grows to 61 to 76 cm behind it and opens blue flowers in May and June. Geranium 'Biokovo' knits along the front edge at 15 to 25 cm, with white flowers from May into July. Anemone 'Prince Henry' takes the bed into fall, with rose flowers from August to October on stems up to 90 cm. All four plants do well in sun to partial sun, and the bloom times run in a steady relay from spring to fall.

Plant Care: Plant in well-drained soil enriched with compost, with the crown at soil level. In full sun, keep the soil evenly moist through the first summer and during heat waves. Heuchera rots in soggy ground, so avoid low spots where water sits, especially on clay. Mulch lightly once the ground freezes to cut down on frost heaving, and check in spring that the crown is still snug in the soil. Trim away tattered leaves in early spring. When the plant gets woody in the middle after a few years, divide it in spring and replant the healthy pieces.

History: Spice Curls™ is part of Bloomin' Easy®, a brand of plants selected for easy care, and its official cultivar name is 'Holtspcur856'. Coral bells are native to North America, and the genus honours Johann Heinrich von Heucher, an 18th-century German botanist.

Final Thoughts: Give it some sun, keep the deer guessing and watch the hummingbirds line up for a closer look. GOOD HAIR DAYS RIGHT INTO FALL.