Heuchera ‘Circus’ grows in my garden in a galvanized tub. The bright green leaves with the red veins draws the visitor’s eye to discover the detail and beauty of Heuchera Circus under the Redbud tree. I love the shape and colors of many cultivars of Heuchera; and here in zone 7, I found the Heuchera Circus grows best in morning sun and dappled afternoon shade.
The common name for Heuchera is Coral Bells and many varieties of Heuchera can grow in zones 4-9. This garden beauty will grow in part sun, full sun, and part shade and, in my opinion, one of the most versatile perennials I have found. It is semi evergreen here in zone 7 losing about 50% of its leaves during the coldest part of winter. I do nothing special with my Heuchera Circus in the galvanized tub except to water it and surround it with leaves in the winter for a bit of protection.
Before I had written that it blooms in May but since we had a mild winter (2015), my Heuchera Circus started blooming mid April (which is earlier than any other Heuchera in my shade garden). The blooms are not why I grow Heuchera – I grow it for the texture, color, and shape of the leaves. I have to say that Heuchera Circus is my favorite because of the bright leaves and the long lasting blooms. {Confession: I have many varieties of Heuchera in my shade garden} The height of the plant reaches about 12″ and about 15″wide with the petite blooms dangling from long stems which sometimes grow upwards of 28″ tall.
Heuchera Circus is not always in the big box stores and so when I saw 3 years ago at my local big box garden center I bought 3 of them. I decided to plant them in a large square galvanized tub that had been sitting empty -where they have been happily growing ever since. I do not let it dry out and it grows in morning sun and dappled afternoon shade. If you grow any Heuchera (Coral Bells) in the sun I recommend that you keep them watered because they are not a drought tolerant plants (it does not like dry conditions that well).
Thank you for stopping by. Any plant I recommend are plants that grow in my red clay soil of Virginia and I do not amend or change the soil. I mulch, use rain barrels, and when I remember, I fertilize with Alaskan Fish Fertilizer. Gardening with nature and working with the soil is my key to success (or sometimes failure). I even talk to my plants as I water them and rescue many from the markdown racks of the big box stores. If you ever have a question, feel free to contact me and I will do my best to answer.
Creating. Inspiring. Gardening without the rules!
2016 Copyrighted material C Renee Fuller @ The Garden Frog Boutique
Note: In the colder zones, if you grow any perennials in pots and container, you should take steps to protect the tender roots in the pot from the frigid temps- such as huddle them together around a tree and blanket them with leaves for protection or dig a trench the depth of the pots and huddle the pots and use the dirt and leaves around the pots for warmth. (Or overwinter in your garage)
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