Heuchera villosa Sugar Plum

The Heuchera 'Sugar Plum' is a variety of heuchera admired for its foliage, which is very silvery throughout the year, strongly veined with purple, especially in summer and winter. It is an extremely decorative perennial plant all year round, not only because of its beautifully coloured vegetation that persists in winter, but also for its long flowering spikes of purple flowers adorned with tiny pink-silver flowers, giving it a delicate appearance. This heuchera is a bit demanding and requires fertile soil that is not too dry in summer. It tolerates heat fairly well, but not intense sunlight. In the garden, it will form a fantastic ground cover in partial shade or even in shade. It also makes a very pretty plant for the terrace.

The 'Sugar Plum' Heuchera, an American hybrid, belongs to the saxifrage family. It is a superb descendant of Heuchera villosa, a low-maintenance and very hardy species native to the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States. The plant will reach about 40cm (16in) in height (including flowers) and 35cm (14in) in width in 4 to 5 years. It forms an attractive spreading cushion-like clump that remains evergreen, even in winter. The foliage is the major asset of this plant: its rounded leaves with lobed lamina have a colour that is particularly remarkable because it is very long-lasting and has silver reflections throughout the year. Purple-violet veins create an elegant network on the leaf lamina, which is more visible in cold or hot weather. Shades of purple-pink can be observed, depending on the age of the leaves. The undersides of the leaves are also beautifully coloured with pink-purple. The flowering, light and airy, begins in June-July and continues until September. The flowers, small bell-shaped and pink when they open, then become almost white, and are arranged along an erect purple-violet stem. This plant has a shallow root system, making it sensitive to water shortage.

An excellent ground cover, Heuchera 'Sugar Plum' can be grown both as a border plant and in a pot on a partially shaded terrace. Its foliage remains decorative throughout the year, and its flowering brings a lot of lightness to any setting. For example, combine it with the blue flowers of forget-me-nots, brunneras, ajugas, columbines, campanulas, or the lush foliage of hostas, always keeping them away from the heat of the sun. Alternatively, pair it with Lysimachia nummularia Aurea and Carex elata Aurea, both of which have golden foliage. When planted en masse, it will create a stunning ground cover along an east-facing pathway.