Alumroot, remarkable leaves

Alumroot or heuchera is a perennial notorious for its very ornamental leafage.

Alumroot facts, a summary

Name – Heuchera
Family – Saxifragaceae
Type – flower, perennial

Height – 24 to 32 inches (60 to 80 cm)
Exposure – full sun or part sun
Soil – ordinary

Flowering – May to July

Caring for this plant, from planting to pruning at the end of winter, should ensure proper development.

Planting alumroot

It’s all the same whether alumroot is planted in spring or fall.

• Select a spot that is preferably partly shaded over, especially during the hottest hours.
• It blooms more when it gets direct sun at some point during the day.
• The soil must be quite cool and well drained.
• Alumroot loves rather rich soil, so in the best of worlds it should be fertilized before planting.

Propagate through rhizome division in spring or in fall, ideally every 3 years.

Alumroot in containers and garden boxes

The Heuchera is the perfect plant to garnish your pot arrangements, containers and garden boxes. Since it is available in all hues ranging from pink to red, it truly embellishes arrangements with other flowers and keeps its beautiful foliage up to the first frost spells.

• Verify that the bottom of your pots have holes in them.
• Eventually, place a bit of gravel or clay pebbles at the bottom to increase drainage.
• Set each alumroot plant 12 inches (30 cm) from the next to give them space to grow.

Pruning and caring for alumroot

Remove wilted flowers regularly (deadheading).

Cut back the clump at the end of winter in order to promote sprouting of new leaves.

Watering alumroot

Watering is recommended during the year of planting, but alumroot copes quite well with drought once it is properly settled in.

If in pots, a good counsel is to water regularly in summer to avoid having the plant desiccate.

All there is to know about alumroot

A very fashionable plant in the days of our grand-parents who used it to decorate their gardens, alumroot is now making a comeback thanks the appearance of new varieties boasting very ornamental leafage, aside from the ease of its care.

The blooming ranges from tender pink to deep red (Heuchera mircantha), this depends on the variety.

The growing is quite easy and doesn’t require any special care.

The many different varieties of Heuchera all boast equally amazing leafage: ‘Caramel’, purple, chocolate, citronella or tiramisu.

• It is used in flower beds, along edges, on rocky ground and in pot arrangements.
• A lightly shaded pathway is ideal to set up an edge of alumroot.

Smart tip about alumroot

Its hardiness makes it insensitive to disease, and it thus never requires any treatment.