Heucherella

Description

Heucherella is an evergreen perennial flowering plant in the family Saxifragaceae. A hybrid of garden origin, it is the result of a cross between two distinct genera, Heuchera and Tiarella, and shows similarities to both parents. This type of intergeneric hybrid is quite rare, and is indicated by a multiplication symbol before the name. The name Heucherella is an example of a portmanteau word, a combination of the two parents' names. Heucherella was first bred in France in 1912 by Emile Lemoine, who created a sterile hybrid between Heuchera × brizoides and Tiarella cordifolia. It was later named ×Heucherella tiarelloides. 'Bridget Bloom' was bred in 1950s by Percy Piper, at the suggestion of Alan Bloom. It is a cross between Heuchera 'Freedom' with pink flowers and Tiarella wherryi. It was brought to Blooms of Bressingham in 1955 and had the market to itself until 1983, which was when 'Rosalie' appeared (Kemper, William T.) These two flowers have pink petals, resembling heuchera and tiarella, and some reddish purple markings on their dark green leaves. Around 1987 'Tinian Pink' and 'Tinian White' were both created by Charles Oliver of the Primrose Path. These go by the names 'Pink Frost' and 'Snow White' in the trade. Where a heucherella grows well depends on its breeding lines. Heucherellas bred from shade-loving heucheras will grow best in shade or part shade, those bred from sun-loving heucheras perform better in part shade to full sun. Most heucherellas have the strongest colors when grown in partial shade (preferably afternoon shade). Heucherella grow in USDA Zones 4–9, and in the milder zones are evergreen. Heucherellas take their brilliant foliage colors from the Heuchera parents and the dark leaf patterns and cut-leaf shapes from the Tiarella parents. They are often called by their botanical name × Heucherella, but the common name in the USA is "foamy bells" because the common names of the parent plants are "coral bells", and "foam flower" respectively. Flowers may be white, pink or cream, and usually appear in spring.