Heuchera Forever Purple

Heuchera 'Forever Purple' is a recent hybrid, distinguished by its foliage that retains a dark and glossy purple colour throughout the year. This variety forms a mound of channelled leaves with a shiny violet-purple colour, adorned with silver marbling, perfectly complementing its summer flowering in short spikes of small pinkish-purple bell-shaped flowers. This undemanding perennial tolerates heat and occasional drought, but prefers humus-rich and moist soils and partially shaded exposures.

'Forever Purple' is a rhizomatous perennial plant belonging to the Saxifragaceae family. This variety is the result of cross-breeding between Heuchera villosa, naturally growing on shaded and moist rocks in the Appalachian Mountains in the northeastern United States, and H. americana, an American species tolerant of dry and poor soils. 'Forever Purple' forms a regular and spreading clump, reaching a height of 30cm (12in), a diameter of 55cm (22in), and a flowering height of 38cm (15in). Its growth rate is quite slow. The background colour varies slightly with the seasons and temperature, but remains dark and purple, veined with silver and polished with a metallic sheen that gives it a unique appearance. Autumn and early winter enhance its violet colour. The foliage is evergreen, except in very cold climates. The flowering period takes place in July-August, in the form of panicles of tiny bell-shaped pink flowers with purple anthers. This plant has a shallow root system.

Plant 'Forever Purple' at the base of old roses with light pink flowers, as its purple foliage will highlight them. It will also create a beautiful effect in a border dominated by red plants: paired with lobelia 'Queen Victoria', columbine 'Ruby Port', or cosmos 'Chocolate'. It can also be used as ground cover to fill the base of spring-flowering shrubs, and will thrive in a moist rock garden. Planted en masse, it brings elegance to the garden. Pair it with blue hostas, grasses, and ferns for a wild effect. Pair it with blue flowers for a complementary look. They are ideal for pots, containers, and flower beds.

Heuchera were very fashionable in 19th-century gardens throughout Europe. The impressionist painters named them the "Painter's Despair," having undoubtedly tried to depict them in vain.