Hardy Plant Society

Look who is in our garden - Heucheras

Heucheras are named for Johann Heinrich von Heucher (1677-1747) a German botanist and physician. He was professor of botany at Wittenberg in 1709, later at Dresden as well as being Physician-in-ordinary to August II of Poland-Sachsen. It is unlikely that Heucher had anything to do with this plant. Linnaeus, in preparing his Species Plantarum (1753), often used the names of prominent men who had nothing to do with their namesake plants.

Heucheras come from North America and it was not until the early 20th century that serious hybridisation began. Amos Perry was one of the first to start breeding heucheras, although sadly none of his plants are now listed in Plantfinder. His work was continued by Alan Bloom and his father. As early as 1920 Charles Bloom was breeding heucheras from plants purchased from G.W. Miller’s nursery at Wisbech. These early hybrids were grown primarily for the flowers rather than the coloured leaves which are so fashionable today. In 1934 Alan Bloom staged an exhibit at Chelsea which consisted entirely of heucheras. In his book, Hardy Perennials, he lists well over 20 plants which he raised but only a very few of them are still in commerce today.

Heuchera ‘Rosemary Bloom’ - Rosemary Bloom is the daughter-in-law of Alan Bloom. She is married to Adrian Bloom.

Heuchera ‘Charles Bloom’ - Charles Bloom was Alan Bloom’s father.

Heuchera ‘Oakington Jewel’ - Was named after Alan’s original Nursery. We have been growing it with great success in the Propagation Scheme for some time and it is now becoming more widely available again.

HPS member Mary Ramsdale raised some very good plants in the late 1980’s:

Heuchera ‘Rachel’ - Raised in 1989 and registered in 1990 by Mary Ramsdale who named it after her granddaughter.

Heuchera ‘David’ - David is Mary’s son. This is a lovely, vigorous plant which the Hampshire Propagation Scheme has been propagating and circulating within the HPS.

Heuchera ‘Alison’ - Alison is Mary’s daughter.

Stephen Taffler is another HPS member and great plantsman who has spent a lifetime studying and collecting variegated plants. He founded the HPS Variegated Plant Group and was the Society’s Archivist for many years. He introduced a lovely plant - Heuchera sanguinea ‘Taff's Joy’ (v) - named for his first wife. When he was visiting Stockwell Estate Nursery there was a circular drive with a flowerbed in the centre. It was bedded out with heuchera, three of which were variegated. He asked if he could take some cuttings and the nurseryman said he could take the whole plant. Although it is now not widely grown Steve believed that it was constitutionally a better plant than ‘Hellen Dillon’.

Heuchera ‘Helen Dillon’ - Helen Dillon is a plantswoman, author and lecturer. Her garden in Dublin has been described as the best designed and planted garden in Ireland. She has travelled widely to collect plants. This plant was found in Vancouver and named for her. Bob Brown of Cotswold Garden Flowers received it eventually and propagated it.

Heuchera ‘Souvenir de Wolley-Dod’ - Rev. Charles Wolley-Dod (1826-1904). He was Assistant Master at Eton for over 25 years. This is another plant which is no longer in the Plant Finder and which is being grown in the Propagation Scheme and we hope to distribute it more widely.

Heucheras are the subject of an HPS booklet.

Click on drawing to open a larger image (in new window)

Text by Jennifer Harmer, drawing by Sue Ward.

These articles were originally published in the HPS Journal.