About
Heuchera americana, the American alum root, is a mound-forming, evergreen perennial with rosettes of lobed, oval to heart-shaped, glossy, dark-green leaves � young foliage marbled and veined brown, maturing to intense green with copper-green shading. Sprays of tiny, browny-green flowers on tall, upright stems appear in early spring. A rewarding and ornamental ground-cover for a shaded border.
About the genus
Heuchera are evergreen or semi-evergreen, clump-forming perennials with rounded, palmately lobed leaves and wiry-stemmed racemes or panicles of small, tubular flowers in summer. Popular as much for their ornamental foliage as their flowers, they excel as ground cover in shaded borders.
Growing conditions
SunlightFull sun, Partial shade
Soil typeClay, Loam, Sand
Soil pHNeutral
Soil moistureMoist but well-drained
AspectEast-facing, South-facing, North-facing, West-facing
ExposureExposed, Sheltered
UK hardinessH6
Plant details
Plant typeHerbaceous Perennial
HabitBushy
FoliageEvergreen
Height0.1-0.5 metres
Spread0.1-0.5 metres
Time to full height2-5 years
Suggested usesCity and courtyard gardens, Coastal, Cottage and informal garden, Patio and container plants, Rock garden
Native toE USA
Care notes
CultivationGrow in a fertile, moist but well-drained, neutral soil in sun or partial shade. The woody rootstock tends to lift out of the ground so mulch annually or lift and replant
PruningRemove faded flower spikes
PropagationPropagate by seed sown in containers in autumn, or by division in autumn
Pest resistanceMay be susceptible to leaf and bud eelworms and vine weevil
Disease resistanceMay be susceptible to heuchera rust