Heuchera Miracle

Heuchera 'Miracle' is a French selection, highly resistant. A sister seedling of 'Tiramisu', and worthy descendant of 'Caramel', this plant forms a thick and persistent changing foliage cushion. Like a chameleon, it emerges in spring in a chartreuse yellow, then quickly turns to red, which infuses from the centre of the leaves. In autumn, the red turns into brick red bordered with silver gold on the underside. Its slender stems bear numerous spikes of tiny pale pink flowers from July to September. Not demanding, this heuchera tolerates drought, but thrives in humus-rich and moist soils.

Heuchera 'Miracle' belongs to the saxifrage family. It is a hybrid of Heuchera villosa, native to the mountains of the eastern United States. It will reach a height of 30 cm (12in) and a width of 40 cm (16in). This heuchera forms a large spreading clump. Foliage is the major asset of this plant: a mixture of chartreuse and wine lees, evolving with the seasons and temperatures. As summer is in full swing, the red colour fades and the foliage becomes green. It turns brick red, bordered with golden yellow in autumn, and remains dark red in winter. The underside of the foliage is silver. The heuchera leaves are rounded in shape and heavily veined. The light and airy flowering begins in June and continues until August. The pink flowers in small bells are arranged along an erect stem. These long spikes, playing with the wind, give a blurred appearance to this romantic flowering. This beautiful movement, which is difficult to capture on a canvas, has earned heucheras the nickname of the 'painter's despair'.  This plant has a shallow root system.

Heuchera 'Miracle' will be planted in the ground in a bed, in a shaded and fresh rockery or in a pot. In a row in a bed, this heuchera will bring dynamism to the garden. Associate this plant with hostas, grasses and ferns for a wild effect. It will also be a good companion for shrubs and roses. In a rockery, place a contrasting mulch at its feet with its beautiful foliage. Finally, it makes an ideal ground cover, with remarkable colours. Associate this heuchera with blue flowers, the only shade it really lacks, they will complement it perfectly. Heuchera is an ideal plant for filling your pots, containers, and flower beds. A good cut flower, the graceful bells of this plant bring a lot of lightness to bouquets.

The heucheras with trembling stems and tiny bells were very fashionable in the 19th century in all European gardens.