My Hercs seem to do better in pots. My problem is I want them in the garden. So I am trying a new idea. Growing them in coir liners and placing them in the garden so they appear to be planted.

This is some of my wintered ones I picked up at the end of the season cheap a dollar or two and they stayed in the pots all winter.



After winter this week.





Coir pots



Planted in the pot the pot disappears. I will see if I get the same good survival and growth that I get in regular pots over next winter.

Hi Cinta, Mine grow better in pots too. Hoping you give us progress reports using the coir.

I purchased 6 Redstone Falls at the same time and planted 1 in this gray planter and 5 in the ground. 2 of the 5 died and the other 3 were not looking so good and this spring were moved to hanging baskets where they are thriving.




This one has been in a planter for 2 years from a plug and thrives.

Sure does look like they came through the winter well. I've grown very few in pots. Maybe I should try that more this summer.

Sounds like an idea. My tiarella 'Mystic Mist' had been doing terribly since I got it a few years ago in the ground, so in an effort to save it I put it in a pot for the summer, then stashed it away somewhere and forgot about it. The following spring it was looking better than it ever had. So I planted it in a new spot amended with compost and horse manure and it did really well. Maybe since I will be lacking room in the ground for anymore, I can try a few in pots. It worked for the sickly tiarella, a healthy one should do even better. Of course, drainage being key for plant survival in winter, I'll have to use a potting medium that's well draining.

Karen

Karen nothing seems to drain better than coir liner. I have trouble keeping annuals live in these without putting diaper in the bottom so the plants have enough moisture.

Let us know how it goes with Mystic Mist. That one didn't do well for me. It just seemed to disappear. I got the impression it was not a very vigorous plant.

Karen you are the only one I have heard having much luck with it. Even the 2 growers I spoke to in the area said it was to much trouble to keep this plant going. Needs to be kept moist but does not like to be wet. I guess that would be easier to control in a container.

Bob, I may have to keep it in a pot. The soil here is a sandy loam and dries rather quickly, whereas where it is at the moment the soil is a clay loam heavily amended with compost and horse manure. It didn't do much last summer when it was hot, but once it cooled down in the fall it grew quite a bit. I thought the thing was going to die, but I didn't give up on it. I'm afraid to move it from its happy spot, but I have no choice.

Karen

How it looked in the fall:



How it looked when I planted it in the spring:

It's beautiful! Mine never got big enough to do much at all but to fade into the dirt.

Mine's a beauty. I'll get a picture later.

Sounds like the trouble I had with Snow Angel. I put it in a pot it would grow great put it in the garden and then I would get two leaves the following year. I finally let it die.

Mine do better in the ground. I have no idea why.

Clint what is the longest Heuch you have had? I started way back when the rage was Amber wave. Many have been improved for sure. I have some that are doing great in the ground. Some I think are going to be short lived.

I am looking for 5 years down the road to see which of the ones that come back after our winters. The ones I had in the pots did not even lose many leaves vs the ones in the ground are taking until now to start to come back.

I think 'Southern Comfort' we've had for a over 4 years. I like these so much I would grow them even if they were annuals. LOL.

Clint I love them too. They are getting to a more reasonable price range to take a chance. When we could not find them for less than 18.00 I was not willing to shell out that kind of cash for iffy.

I have picked up more without a second thought. Before when I purchased one for 18.00 I would think about it for a few weeks, I would go on the net and search how many people had grown it in their garden before I purchased.

They were pumping them out to fast without garden tested in different climates.

I know the feeling. I experimented with cuttings last year too. I was able to make a new 'Sweet Tea' Heucherella from one of the new growth points. I hope to try that with some other favorites this year.

Old thread I know. I'm curious to know your results of this growing method, that is if any of you are still around. I've started growing some of the finicky ones in pots and putting the pots in the ground. So far so good.

All of mine are planted in the ground. Around here I do not have luck with just about anything overwintering in pots. I live between 3 lakes so strong winds are common and Winters can be very cold plus really no area to put the pots into the ground. I believe Cinta and Springcolor have had pretty good luck in containers.

@quercusnut

This has been year 4 for me in pots and I have discovered it is the only way I can keep any alive. After all these yrs every single one I put in the ground is died after winter. I can finally buy them and know 100% all have survived. I lay them on their side and put some leaves on them and they are alive in the Spring.

My weather is to much of a temp swing and in between those temp swings we have a lot of rain that freeze. The plants were in the ground in solid ice because of the quick temp drop after hurricane rain depth of up to 4".

I never realized Heucheras were so finicky. My seedlings are doing better than their parents. I'm going to keep trying.
I do best with the villosas and Autumn Bride appears to be indestructible.
Brownies and Kassandra are tough too.
I get some kind of bug that eats Heuchera leaves. Mostly the finicky ones. Any idea what it could be?