Heucherella Fun and Games® 'Red Rover'

Heucherella Fun and Games® 'Red Rover': Coppery Red Fingers Creeping Through Shade

Red Rover, Red Rover, send those coppery fingers right over. This one charges into the shade garden with deeply cut leaves and flower spikes that shoot up like they're trying to BREAK THROUGH THE LINE.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Heucherella hybrid (Heuchera × Tiarella)
• Common Name: Foamy Bells
• Series: Fun and Games®, a Proven Winners® perennial
• Height: 15–20 cm (6–8 in) in leaf; flower stems reach 71–86 cm (28–34 in)
• Spread: 46–51 cm (18–20 in)
• Flowers: Creamy white, bottlebrush-like spikes on slender stems
• Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer (May to June)
• Foliage: Coppery red, deeply lobed, finger-like leaves with a burgundy-red centre, turning olive green in summer
• Features: Tolerates heat and humidity
• Plant Patent: USPP 28,751 / Can 5,819

Where to Plant: Use it to edge a shady path, line the front of a woodland border, or fill out shade containers. Its low, spreading habit knits between bigger plants and covers bare soil under shrubs and trees, and it can take some sun if the moisture stays steady.

Companion Plants: Astilbe 'Fanal' follows its white May and June flowers with red plumes at 60 cm in June and July. Hosta 'Liberty' adds a bold leaf at 40 to 45 cm and lavender flowers in early to midsummer. Pulmonaria 'Dark Vader' flowers purple in April and May, just ahead of the foamy bells. Each one is at home in shade with a little sun.

Plant Care: Plant in part shade in humus-rich, well-drained soil. Steady moisture keeps the leaves looking their best, but soggy soil in winter is the real enemy, so work compost into heavy clay before planting. In its first winter, freeze and thaw cycles can push the crown up out of the soil. A light mulch helps. Check it in spring and press it back down if needed. Snip off spent flower stems after bloom. Tidy up any winter-worn leaves in spring. Every three or four years, if the centre gets woody or open, lift and divide in spring and replant the healthiest pieces.

History: Foamy bells cross coral bells (Heuchera) with foamflower (Tiarella), and the first Heucherella was made in France by the Lemoine nursery in the early 1900s. 'Red Rover' carries Heuchera villosa, a species from the southeastern United States, in its background, which is where its tolerance for heat and humidity comes from.

Final Thoughts: Steady moisture, some shade and a few friends to link arms with. NOBODY GETS THROUGH THIS BORDER.