Geicher - mountain beauty with original foliage

The name "heicher" is now heard by most gardeners. After all, it was she who became one of the important highlights of modern landscape design. Previously, this plant looked like an inconspicuous green bush with delicate light bluebells on a common peduncle. But thanks to the efforts of breeders, the plant from a little-known modesty turned into a real socialite and is now considered almost a must have for every garden.

Geicher as a perennial garden culture

Geichera is a herbaceous perennial with an extensive rhizome. She is often confused with a close relative - tiarella, as well as their common descendant - heicherella. All these plants form a compact bush with decorative foliage, and when flowering, they produce long peduncles.

Heichera flowers are so small that they can be put in a thimble as a vase

It is easiest to distinguish them during flowering - in heichera, individual flowers have the shape of simple bells, the rest are flaunted with star-shaped buds or terry bells. In addition, the heichera is usually larger than the heicherella and tiarella, but this already depends heavily on which varieties you are comparing.

Video: learn to distinguish between heichera and heicherella

Geicher got its name in honor of the German botanist Johann Heinrich von Heicher, but the birthplace of this species is in the mountains of North America. Before the scientist brought this plant into the international classification, among the locals it was called "mountain undergrowth." This origin explains the rather high winter hardiness and unpretentiousness of the plant.

This motley rug is completely made up of different varieties of heichera

The plant likes well-drained soil, as its roots are very sensitive to stagnant water. In this case, the soil moisture should be sufficient, since excessive dryness also harms the plant, in the hottest period of summer, it needs active watering.

You can find out how to arrange an automatic watering system for a site from the material: //diz-cafe.com/tech/sistemy-avtomaticheskogo-poliva-uchastk.html

The main advantages are dense crown, decorative foliage, a long flowering period, active growth and unpretentiousness. Of the disadvantages, only the tendency to aging of the bush and sensitivity to stagnation of water can be noted.

A to Z plant video

Role in Landscaping

Despite the long path that the heicher has traveled, her flowers are not yet able to compete for attention along with roses and even tulips. But the foliage of different varieties is simply amazing. Some bright leaves with contrasting veins are so decorative that even beautiful and large flower buds are difficult to notice against their background. At the same time, the beauty of the crown is not lost until the frosts, and snow-covered in the late autumn look unusually spectacular.

With such a variety of shapes, leaf plates can be selected for a flower bed as a contrast option, and play on the nuances

Many gardeners are so fascinated by the splendor of the crown that they do not even allow the heicher to bloom, because inflorescences will distract attention from the leaves. If you do not plan to propagate the plant with seeds, this is quite acceptable, but not necessary. During flowering, it looks very cute and gentle.

Pepermint Ice varieties have a traditional heicher-shaped flower shape, but the inflorescence is denser and the petals are brighter

The main direction of efforts of breeders in terms of improving heichera is to increase flowers and at the same time reduce peduncle. If your plant produces long shoots with small buds, this is clearly one of the old varieties. The second important direction is the creation of varieties with an interesting shape and color of the sheet plate. Now the range of shades of the crown varies from purple to lemon yellow, and on one sheet can be from one to three contrasting tones.

Heikhera Crown Plum Perfume itself looks like a big flower

I noticed that the more decorative the foliage, the more expensive the heyhera seedling is. I understand that fashion provides consumer interest, which leads to an increase in prices. But I doubt that such a decor is worth the increased cost. After all, such varieties are often more moody and require a lot of attention. As for me, it’s better to take some unpretentious seedlings with bright monophonic colors than to constantly look after the capricious pestle.

Landscape designers simply adore geyhera both for a variety of decorative qualities, and for non-blocky character. This plant easily coexists with any herbaceous perennials (cereals, daylilies), conifers and most bushes. An exception may be only trees that actively take away moisture - a heicher because of them does not receive enough water and begins to wither.

Also, material about the best varieties of ornamental shrubs for arranging a garden will be useful: //diz-cafe.com/ozelenenie/dekorativnye-kustarniki-dlya-sada.html

Looking at the variety of options, it is simply impossible not to admire the hard work of breeders

Among the most popular varieties: blood-red (the oldest subspecies), small-flowered, American (mountain geranium), hairy, cylindrical and various subspecies of modern selection. Now there are about 700 varieties. The advantages of each variety can be fully appreciated only in contrast with others, so combining 4-5 varieties on one flower bed is a traditional and winning solution.

In gardens, a heicher can perform the functions of:

• the edges of flower beds from perennials;
  

  Heichera bushes became an excellent edging, beautifully framing taller plants

• mixborders in collaboration with other plants, from heicher of one variety or a contrasting combination of several varieties;
  

  Heichera carved leaves blend well with stone slabs

• the main filler of a single or multi-tiered flowerbed, especially in shaded areas of the garden (along with the host);
  

  Without a beautiful geyhera, this flower bed would not have turned out so magnificent and spectacular

• bright accent in the Alpine hills and rockeries;
  

  Due to its mountain origin, heichera becomes the best decoration of any rock garden

• frames of all types of artificial reservoirs;
  

  The best place for geyhera - stone dumping near the pond

• single bright spot.
  

  Such a bright heicher will definitely not get lost in your area

In practical use of the plant, its size plays an important role - the height of an adult plant is not more than 0.5 m. That is, it simply gets lost among tall counterparts, but it looks good in the foreground, can cover a bare tree trunk, looks great on mini flower beds and in containers.

Heikhera’s fluffy cap looks great both in pot-bellied low frames and in tall narrow containers

In the hands of a landscape designer, a heicher becomes a universal tool. It will help smooth the transition from bushes to low annual grasses, and may emphasize the difference between two similar plants (if you select a heicher with a contrasting crown). She is able to add colors to a discreet garden and vice versa - to muffle the diversity of your flower garden. In addition, it can be planted between plants that do not get along well with each other and thus eliminate the unattractive bald spots on the flowerbed.

This diagram clearly shows how hehera sizes relate to other plants

And when creating a flower garden, which should remain beautiful from the beginning of spring to the beginning of winter, heichera simply can not do. In periods when early plants have already faded and later ones have not yet begun to bud, it is this decorative foliage lifesaver that prevents the flowerbed from turning into a solid green spot. In addition to the fact that the leaves of the geyhera are magnificent in themselves, they also change color depending on the season, so the flower garden will not seem boring for sure.

You can learn more about how to break a beautiful flower garden from the material: //diz-cafe.com/ozelenenie/cvetnik-pered-domom-na-dache.html

Flower beds of this form are quite simple, but they always look spectacular

Fans of the original flower beds, this beauty will also appeal to. The crown of the heicher is so regular and dense that from it you can form inscriptions and patterns. Of course, in a home flower garden it is difficult to take a walk and lay out a picture, but in urban landscaping, such properties will be most welcome. It is possible, for example, to plant a city emblem from different shades on a central flowerbed.

Pay attention to the border of the flowerbed - the colors literally shimmer from plant to plant, until pale red turns into a rich wine

By the way, an extensive palette of crowns of this plant allows landscape designers to play in midtones. An example of a heicher border with a color transition from the burgundy Palace Purple to the berry rose berry smoothie has become a classic and is often copied by gardeners. But such a frame can also be created in yellow (from lemon Caramel to fiery orange Delta Down), purple (at the beginning - Endless Purple, at the end - Purple Palace) and green tones (starting from the bright lime Lime Marmalade and ending with the colorful Green Spice) . A skilled gardener will also be able to take advantage of the difference in tones of one variety, which arises due to differences in shading and make the available palette even more diverse.

Heicher is not the most noticeable part of the bouquet, but it gives it volume and airiness

Geicher showed herself not only in the flowerbed, but also in bouquets. For ikebana, both beautiful foliage and delicate inflorescences are used. All parts of the plant are highly resistant - the finished bouquet looks fresh for more than 4 weeks.

Application in landscape design: photo

How to plant a geyhera in the open ground

Geichera is able to maintain a bright color of its leaves even when growing in shading, but most of all she loves openwork partial shade. Important: varieties with red leaves should receive enough sunlight, otherwise the crown will turn green.

Video: we select a place according to the color of the crown of the plant

The soil should be moderately moist, well fluffy and well-drained. In addition to the correct soil moisture, pay attention to its pH. Heichera grows best in a neutral environment, so acidified soil needs to be neutralized, and alkaline soil should be acidified.. In the first case, the defecate / flour (sugar production waste) or a solution of lime will help out, and in the second - ash. The selected ingredient must be added to the soil mixture when planting. When planting in clay soil, prepare a soil mixture with the addition of peat and sand.

Video: determine the acidity of the soil at home

The best time to plant is from May to June, this plant likes well-warmed soil. If you live in the south of the country, landing is possible in March-April. Residents of the northern part of the Russian Federation need to finish work before July. It is advisable that the weather be gloomy on the day of planting, and on a sunny day it is worthwhile to build a shade for the seedling to provide shelter.

Video: the nuances of planting heichera in the garden

When planting any plant, I always add a little natural fertilizer, as a rule, it always works. I don’t put much, because my friend killed the young roots precisely with excessive enthusiasm. Yes, and in the first years of the site’s arrangement, she overdid it a couple of times. But in my memory, heichera became the only plant to which top dressing is strictly contraindicated. If you also like pampering green pets with delicious food, be sure to remember this feature. Feeding is a classic example of grief from the mind. Indeed, due to additional nutrients, it not only grows well, but also ages several times faster. And this means that we will have to deal with the consequences of aging not in three years, but in the next. So heichera is a great option for gardeners who do not like to mess around in the flowerbed for a long time.

Breeding

Both experienced gardeners and beginners usually prefer the vegetative methods of propagation of this plant - division of the rhizome or rooting of cuttings. It is prone to active growth, so the cut shoots root quickly and successfully. Therefore, the cut off 4-centimeter shoot is not even kept in water, but simply stuck in the ground in a greenhouse. Within a month, such an escape becomes a full-fledged plant and can decorate a flower bed.

Video: how to propagate a heicher with cuttings

The second method is dividing the bush. This is one of the necessary stages of plant life, without it it is not able to maintain its decorativeness and may even die. The work is extremely simple: you need to cut the rhizome into several separate parts and plant them according to the usual technology, ensuring the desired humidity and shading. The main thing is to perform the procedure in autumn or spring and do not forget to deepen the bare stem into the ground.

Video: bush division rules

But the easiest way to propagate the hehera stepsons. Some varieties form processes that take their own roots when they enter the ground. They are specially bent to the ground and the sprout eats from the main plant until it takes root. So the gardener gets tenacious planting material with little or no effort.

The best clue about the need for a heichera transplant is the shape of the bush. As they age, the lower leaves die off and the plant becomes like a cabbage stalk. If you are not trying to grow a palm tree like, but want to get a semicircular bush with a dense crown, divide it as soon as the shape of the plant from the hemisphere begins to turn into an egg-shaped. Often, just cutting off the top and then rooting it separately is enough. By the way, tiarella and heicherella are spared from this deficiency and require half as much division.

Heicher seed

Propagation of ornamental plants by seeds is a long, laborious and responsible process. But if you still decide to implement it, be prepared to take care of the young growth for about a year.

If the expiration date is not indicated on the packaging at all, such seeds should not be taken

Seeds only germinate for 6-7 months (most other perennials are 12-13 months), so carefully look at the date when buying. If you collected the material yourself, try to use it until the end of next spring.

For comparison, I sowed expired and fresh heichera seeds to conduct an experiment to check the germination of such seeds and study the development of seedlings obtained from them. As a result, fresh heichera seeds sprouted faster, and from slightly expired seeds (no more than six months), seedlings appeared a week later. Severely expired seeds do not germinate at all, but simply grow moldy. Excessive moisture leads to decay of its roots. Therefore, I watered the seedlings very carefully: on the wall of a plastic box.

Diana//greenforum.com.ua/archive/index.php/t-2099.html

If the seeds are fresh, the heichera shoots appear very amicably

Heichera seeds are very small, so the capacity for growing them is selected shallow (a bowl, a plastic plate) and not deeply buried during planting. The land can be used purchased or garden with the addition of perlite (only calcine before planting to get rid of weeds and pests). It is most convenient to sow a heicher, after mixing the seeds with sand and distributing this mixture on the surface of the earth.A garden bed prepared in this way is covered with a film or a lid so that the seeds germinate in a greenhouse, and then placed in a sunny place. Ventilate the structure regularly, even before emergence.

After 15-20 days, the first seedlings will appear on the bed and it will be necessary to reduce the greenhouse effect so that they receive enough air. Sprouts with 2 leaves need to be planted in rows at a distance of 6 cm from each other. The growing period before planting in open ground is 11-12 months.

Such babies are already ready to begin the life of adult plants, they can be planted outdoors

Hearing that the seeds of the hehera are small, I imagined the crumbs a little less than poppy seeds. But it turned out that the seeds are almost microscopic. After all, each flower the size of a marigold forms a box with 20,000 seeds! Such a small fry cannot be planted alone even with a toothpick. Therefore, do not create additional thinning work for yourself - use the sand trick.

Video: plant propagation by seeds

Herb care

The most traumatic period for geyhera is spring. Until the earth warms up, the roots will not be able to begin their functions. But the leaves at this time already actively evaporate moisture and the plant begins to dry. Therefore, as soon as warming begins, a mini hotbed should be organized that will not allow moisture loss. Old plants are usually enough to shade with some kind of covering material.

Video: how to take care of heicher in spring

More active chores will begin only when the ground is warmer and you can loosen and mulch the flower bed. Heicher responds to these procedures very well and pleases with a dense crown. But you need to work very carefully - its roots are very close to the surface. At the same time, fertilizers are applied under the bush, but only once - in the second year of his life.

If the right moment for feeding is missed, fertilize at the end of the growing season and spill the soil abundantly. The plant cannot immediately take advantage of the delicacy and will not outgrow. It is optimal to use purchased fertilizer for deciduous plants.

Like most other plants, a heicher will be grateful for watering in the driest period of summer. But you don’t need to be too zealous in this matter - stagnation of water is destructive for the roots. Evening sprinkling will be the best option, but the plant will not refuse drip irrigation. In the period of active growth, repeated mulching is also necessary.

Traditional mulching with bark chips is also good for heichera

It can be argued that heichera is one of the most undemanding residents of the flower bed. Even diseases attack it extremely rarely and in 90% of cases as a result of waterlogging or overfeeding. Therefore, remember: a lazy gardener has a more beautiful heicher.

If your bush has already detected ailment, you need to not only provide drainage, but also treat the green pet. Spraying with powdery mildew will be saved by spraying with fungicide, and Bordeaux liquid will save from spotting and rust. In the fight against larvae of the May beetle, nematodes, slugs and caterpillars, insecticides are a good help. And in any case, damaged leaves / shoots / roots need to be removed.

How to prepare for winter

Heicher usually does not drop leaves before winter, so she prepares shelter from the cold herself. The gardener only needs to mulch the earth around the bush. In the Moscow region, most varieties winter well without additional shelter and only the most heat-loving varieties need to be protected. Among the minions is the Caramel variety and its close relatives. For more northern regions and places with little snowy winters, it is recommended to cover the heicher with spruce spruce branches, geotextiles or other moisture- and heat-insulating material. If the shelter material is breathing, then it can be left until May to protect the bush from spring shocks. Important: it is best to remove the shelter on a rainy May morning, so the plant will get minimal stress.

Video: harboring a heicher for the winter

In order to find out whether it is necessary to harbor a heicher in your climatic region, you don’t need to shovel tons of literature, just look around. For example, I have only four species of herbaceous perennials and they all winter well without shelter. Therefore, it is logical to assume that the heicher will easily endure frost. If you have to constantly shelter garden flowers, then the most frost-resistant heichera will not be an exception. Even if the description of the variety indicates that the plant tolerates severe cold, it is better to play it safe and cover it. In the shelter technology, you should not reinvent the wheel either - just use the most convenient way for you to cover other plants.

What problems do gardeners have

One of the most common turmoil among geyhera owners is the freezing of the rhizome of an already grown plant. It happens that for 2-3 years the flower wintes well and only then manages to suffer even from light frosts. This happens due to the fact that the roots of the heichera constantly strive to leave the earth and expose themselves, and in this state they are more vulnerable to cold and disease. To prevent this from happening, under the heicher you need to regularly sprinkle the earth so that there is a small mound in the root circle.

The specified part of the plant should not be exposed, then the heicher will not hurt and freeze

Another common problem is rotting of rhizomes. As a rule, it is associated with stagnation of water in the soil and insufficient drainage layer. If your garden has wet and clayy soil, for a heicher it’s worth organizing a loose flower bed with more suitable soil or planting it in a large container. If the heichera grew normally for several years and only then began to suffer from rot, then it was time to update it. It is necessary to remove the dead parts of the rhizome and divide the bush, and when planting new bushes to organize good drainage.

Some varieties of heicher grow old very quickly. Already in 3-4 years, the upper shoots of the bush are stretched so much that the rhizome can not provide them with food, such stems quickly wither and dry. If your plants are also short-lived, you just need to separate them. For this, the heicher is completely dug up, the dead parts of the bush are removed up to the living buds, the rhizome is cut into fragments and planted. Such a rejuvenated bush will grow well over the next few years. Then the procedure can be repeated, or simply prevent the growth of the bush, removing part of the shoots in advance.

I want to use such a magnificent leaf in a bouquet

My first chance to acquire a geyhera was given to me during a visit to a relative. She offered to give a bush with interesting lurid leaves, but she immediately explained that every year she needs to be transplanted into the hole deeper. Otherwise, the roots will be exposed and the plant will be lost. At that time I was afraid that with such a capriciousness I would have to mess around too much and did not take it. And only two years later I learned that such a radical departure is not necessary at all - adding soil to the root circle is quite enough. Now I regret that I did not shelter such a pretty girl on my site. Do not repeat my mistakes - take advantage of the Internet and clarify information in several sources. Indeed, now even in a remote village you can use the telephone to learn the ins and outs of any plant in 15 minutes.

Grow Reviews

We have no problems with growing heichera. At the cottage, a whole flower garden with different varieties of this flower. But in order to grow it you need to follow certain conditions. Geichers need fertile soil, moderate watering, partial shade, do not cut leaves for the winter, do not insulate strongly for the winter.

Leksi//indasad.ru/forum/72-mnogoletniki/1430-gejkhera

... regarding Caramel [varietal heichera with yellow foliage] noticed that if the sun falls to her, then the leaves turn pink.

Elfeya//forum-flower.ru/showthread.php?s=fb27d19dc7f7f5026124238acee03a8e&t=178&page=2

Only the simplest, unpretentious [heichera] also came from my seeds. And then 3 pcs. I myself don’t know why I planted it, for a company with some very beautiful one, and so there wasn’t a single beautiful seed at all ... only three left the pack. And then one spring already bent. It seemed to be, and then disappeared.

Ax//forum-flower.ru/showthread.php?t=178&page=3

We have the most popular seeds of the New King's Dress geyher, here with this variety - my love for geyhera began. I bought it in winter, planted seedlings in March, in a greenhouse, at home, in a bright place, the temperature with a difference of 18 - 22C. Born in 3 weeks. Then she dived at the stage of the 4th leaves, and landed in the garden, around the end of May. Of all the seedlings, only four, by color, I had strictly by grade, the rest remained of the usual green color. Since then, I decided to purchase only shares or cuttings :)

Passific//frauflora.ru/viewtopic.php?t=2330

If you have many seedlings, try to plant a part in shade, and the rest in the sun. For example, my Beauty Color appeared in all its glory - in the sun, and in the shade it was completely dull. Or Marmalade: in the sun takes on a burgundy color, and in the shade it turns yellow: ddafg:

Passific//frauflora.ru/viewtopic.php?t=2330

I will list the identified advantages of Geheher seeds from "Comet" Plasmas: * Good germination * Low price * Availability * Large number of seeds per pack * Easy agricultural technology even a novice can do * High decorative plants Minuses: * Loss of varietal qualities during seed propagation I recommend the seeds of a beauty heichera, even a little girl in a bowl, she looks very decorative!

Yulechka Beauty//irecommend.ru/content/effektnoe-rastenie-kotoroe-bystro-i-legko-vyrastit-iz-semyan-dazhe-novichku-foto-malyshei-i

My geyhera purple castle (in the sun and partial shade) and marmalade. Geyhera marmalade lived with me for a year, it was disproportionately large and dense. I divided it, blackened it - rejuvenated. There are 2 "palm trees" left. Dropped them in a secluded place. When landing a little deepened. Recently, one place had to be vacated. I dug up a trunk with several feathers - semi-dry leaves. And down there, almost at the roots, at a depth of 7-8 cm below the ground, little children, 2 leaves on the stalks of a pale pink color. I didn’t notice the roots. In a hurry, there was no time to consider. Some broke off, but some remained. Put them in pots. I broke the top (I pulled for it, I was going to throw it away). In one pot the children fell away, in the other the remainder of the trunk with roots and children who did not fall away. What if something happens? And it turned out - the last photo. By the end of the season, I separated them, there were normal young bushes.

natabu//www.forumhouse.ru/threads/54013/page-25

If you have been looking for a plant for a long time that will make you garden beautiful and varied, but at the same time do not require attention, be sure to plant a heicher. Be sure, this beauty with bright leaves will definitely not disappoint you.