Heuchera 'Autumn Bride'

Heuchera 'Autumn Bride': Late White Froth for Autumn Shade

'Autumn Bride' waits until late in the season to walk down the aisle, and the shade garden is glad she did. Big velvety lime-green leaves, then frothy white plumes. LATE TO THE ALTAR. WORTH THE WAIT.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Heuchera villosa 'Autumn Bride'
• Common Name: Coral Bells, also called hairy alumroot
• Height: 45–50 cm (18–20 in) in leaf; flower stems can rise to about 75–90 cm (2.5–3 ft)
• Spread: 45–60 cm (18–24 in)
• Flowers: Small white flowers in airy, frothy plumes
• Bloom Time: Late summer to fall (August to October)
• Foliage: Large, velvety, lime-green to light green leaves; semi-evergreen
• Features: Late bloom

Where to Plant: It's one of the larger coral bells, so use it as a substantial clump in a woodland garden, under trees, along a shaded path or massed as a groundcover. Its bright foliage lightens up dark corners all season, and the late flowers carry the shade garden well into fall.

Companion Plants: Astilbe 'Bressingham Beauty' rises behind 'Autumn Bride' with pink plumes in July and August. Epimedium 'Lilafee' adds violet flowers in April and May, months before the coral bells bloom. Eurybia macrophylla brings lavender flowers from August to September, alongside the white heuchera spikes. These all grow well in shade or part shade.

Plant Care: Plant in part shade to full shade, in moist, well-drained soil with some organic matter. It handles dry shade better than many coral bells once established, but water regularly through the first season. Set the crown at soil level, not below. Cut the flower stems after bloom. In spring, trim away any leaves that look tired after winter. Coral bells tend to push up out of the soil over time. When the crown starts to rise and look woody, usually every three to four years, lift and divide it in spring and replant the pieces at the right depth.

History: 'Autumn Bride' is a seed selection of Heuchera villosa, introduced by Bluemount Nurseries of Monkton, Maryland, from a species native to the shaded, rocky wooded slopes of the Appalachian region. The species' late bloom and big, soft leaves have made it a parent of many modern hybrid coral bells, including 'Caramel'.

Final Thoughts: Plant her where summer's crowd has already gone home. Deer won't crash the wedding. SPEAK NOW OR GO BUY ONE.