In the Nov./Dec. 2012 issue of Wisconsin Gardening magazine, they had an interesting article titled "Heuchera: The Midwest's Shirinking Violet". And although I'd never really thought about it, I'd have to agree with some of the observations, one being that many heuchera start out "robust" the first year and gradually "melted" over the next several years until they disappeared.
I'd blamed this problem in my own garden on the drought, horrible heat, maybe I had it in the wrong light, etc. And yes, over the years I have lost a number of heuchera no matter where I moved them. Don't get me wrong, I'm still crazy about them and will continue to add to my collection, but will keep in the back of my mind that like the article said, they may be a rather "short-lived" perennial.
I'd also like to note that there are some I've had for many, many years and they still look great.
I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on this.
