Are they sticking up in the ground rather like a cabbage on a stalk?
What to do to ensure that your Heucheras emerge through the winter with some leaves even after a hard winter or have been pushed up out of the ground.
Many of you will have purchased Heucheras over the last few years as their has been an explosion in breeding of this plant variety. They are a wonderful addition and can be used in so many ways either in your garden or in a container. The wide variety of foliage colours means that there is virtually a plant to fit in to every colour scheme. From the dark almost black leaves of Heuchera 'Obsidian', gold and peach leaves of Heuchera 'Tiramisu' and coppery-peach leaves of 'Caramel'. Did you know that the Heucheras with food names are all bred by the same grower in France?
They are usually very hardy and will survive even the coldest winter but I suspect that some of you might have plants that have lost their leaves this year. If you have plants like this then take heart because they look exactly like my plants in our garden at home. However, the plants growing in the nursery even
in small 9cm pots that were outside through all the bad weather looked absolutely amazing with hardly a mark on their leaves.
The secret is feeding. My plants at home are always neglected and very rarely fed. The plants in the nursery are potted in our own mixed compost containing slow release fertiliser and so are well fed. If you want your Heucheras to give you colour all year round then you must make sure that you feed them well. If you don't feed them then they will lose their
leaves and become winter dormant and probably struggle to grow new healthy looking leaves in spring.
The slow release fertiliser that we use on all our plants (non-edible plants) is Osmocote which you can purchase. It is a 6-9month strength which is released as and when the plants need feeding depending on the weather. You could also use Vitax. If you prefer an organic product then I use chicken pellets at home or if you have well-rotted manure or your own compost that will also do the job.
If your plant is standing above the ground on a stem then carefully dig it up and replant it so that the remaining leaves are level with the soil surface. Roots should regrow out of the stalk and anchor your plant
back in the ground. Do not worry because this is a natural habit that some Heucheras have, it is not anything that you have done wrong. It would be good to check that there are no vine weevil grubs lurking in the roots or surrounding soil whilsy you are doing this as vine weevils are the worst enemies of Heucheras even if they are grown in pots.