Heuchera micrantha Palace Purple seeds

Heuchera 'Palace Purple' (Heuchera micrantha) is a perennial plant with charming, decorative purple foliage, often evergreen in winter. Its leaves, evolving from purple to bronze, bring depth to flower beds and borders. This hardy variety easily finds its place in the garden, in the ground, or in a pot on the balcony. This undemanding heuchera tolerates heat and sun but thrives in partial shade in humus-bearing, moist soils.

Belonging to the Saxifragaceae family, Heuchera micrantha 'Palace Purple' originates from North America. This cultivar was introduced in the 1980s and was awarded the title of "Perennial Plant of the Year" in 1991. The plant forms a clump of leaves 40-45 cm in height and width. Its foliage, often likened to that of a maple, displays an intense purple colour on top, with a reddish underside. The leaves, more or less evergreen in winter depending on the climate, measure about 5 to 7 cm wide. The 'Palace Purple' Heuchera blooms between June and August. Its small, white, discreet flowers form airy panicles that rise above the foliage, they are not the main attraction of this plant. This variety's growth is relatively fast; it prefers rich, well-drained soils. 'Palace Purple' Heuchera tolerates full sun in cooler climates but prefers partial shade in warmer regions.

Heuchera 'Palace Purple' is well suited for edging flower beds, in combination with other plants for partial shade. It pairs well with golden grasses like Carex elata ‘Aurea’, or delicate flowering plants like Astilbe arendsii ‘Fanal’. It can also be combined with other Heuchera varieties in matching colours, such as 'Berry Smoothie' with pink foliage, or ‘Marmalade’ with tones of pink and bronzed orange. It complements perennials like Alchemilla mollis, with its chartreuse green foliage creating an interesting contrast with the purple foliage of 'Palace Purple'.

Heucheras with trembling stems and tiny bells were very fashionable in the 19th century in all European gardens. The Impressionist painters named them 'Painter's Despair', having probably tried to represent them in vain.