Plant Patent #15,945. If there's a more colorful, get-up-and-grow plant for the partly shaded garden, I have yet to see it! 'Marmalade' is the brightest and most distinctive Heuchera yet, with orangy-red foliage (no two leaves just alike!) and matching reddish blooms in late spring. For three seasons of vibrant color in the border, as edging, or in containers, you can't beat this super-adaptable native!
The leaves are large, roundish, and so variously lobed that they almost look fringed! Each is splotched with many shades of orange and red ? everything from burnt sienna to russet to deep scarlet! Their brilliance, when they unfurl in spring, is utterly breathtaking, and they keep their colors right through summer's heat and into fall! Imagine how 'Marmalade' will stand out in the shade border, offsetting the deep blues, greens, and yellows around it!
Late spring sees the arrival of tall, slender 18-inch stems topped by clusters of reddish blooms, which complement the foliage nicely. Unlike Hosta blooms, for instance, these flowers are thoroughly charming in the garden ? small but never insignificant!
Developed by Dan Heims, a noted plantsman who brings us the chartreuse Heuchera 'Lime Ricky' as well (a good companion to 'Marmalade', by the way!), this native perennial is very dependable in a wide range of conditions. Acid soil, alkaline soil, poor soil ? 'Marmalade' thrives in it all! Indifferent to heat, humidity, and cold (once established), it is a low-maintenance perennial you will love.
For best color, locate 'Marmalade' in up to a half-day of sun (the weaker sun of morning is preferable, particularly in the south). High dappled shade is fine, provided some sunlight reaches the plant to burnish its magnificent foliage!
Sixteen inches high and 18 inches wide, this plant is a fine choice for the border, edging, and even containers. Space plants about a foot apart for an unbroken line of color! Zones 4-9.
