What is the problem here

[thy]

I normally... normally in my former garden with heavy clay soil ... see my heucheras looking tired in the spring, but they were the same (big) size as in the fall and rather low.

Every thing have changed
last winthers have been cold with a lot of snow... not normal here. Normal is a few degrees C at day time and a few MINUS degrees at night time.. all in all up and down the freezing point.

Now they are small... in a bird perspective around the size of your thumb and first fingers making a ring and rather tall

What's the problem ?

Sandy soil with compost or the cold winthers

Pia

[party_music50]

Hello Pia -- I see that nobody answered your post!

I grow heucheras in mostly sandy soil. The winter conditions definitely do affect how they look in very early spring. When they are small and "leggy" as you describe, I have always just planted them deeper. In my experience, the long stems will root. You can even take cuttings of them, bury the stem in a pot full of potting soil, water and enclose the pot in a plastic bag, and keep it in a shaded/protected area until it's clear that you're getting new growth.

You can either plant them deeper by lifting and reseating the entire plant, or by just mounding plenty of soil/compost onto the long stems. I've done both depending on whether I wanted better drainage around the plant.

They'll come back looking great!

[ThisIsMelissa]

I've read that heuchera prefer sandy, less rich soil.
I've also read that some of these newer varieties may not have the longevity that older varieties do. A grower I know says that he won't carry heuchera because his experience is that within 4-5 years, they disappear.
This year will be my 4th and 5th year with some of mine, so I'll report back on how they're doing. It's hard to say right now since spring is just starting here in Minnesota.

[viktoria]

If you want non-disappearing heuchs, Melissa, stick to hybrids with H. villosa in them. 'Caramel' and 'Frosted Violet' come to mind, and a French hybridizer has recently introduced a bunch more ('Miracle', 'Tara', ...; google for Thierry Delasomething for more); those do fabulously well here.

I have found that they need more sun than I thought. They also need plenty of water but well-drained soil. I add Perlite because sand is not a good addition to my clay soil (have you heard of concrete?).

Viktoria

[thy]

LOL Victoria I have done that years ago in my first garden. My next door neighbough was from Jutland- the Danish island conected to Germany. She was a keen gardener so I asked her what to do ? She replyed: Just give it a lot of sand.
Neither did I know that people from Jutland was saying sand when the rest of us would have used the word Grit.
What they call Grit, we call small stones. Weird in such a tiny country, but i learned the differnce the hard way.

I have used ghicken grit with compost with rater good succes, but the biggest impact was an advise from Wanda to add woodclippings... thy it, it did wonders

So it is the @$€{$ winthers we have had. I don't like them and do not want any more of them -- I can talk as much as I want, can't change Mother Nature anyway - but I have said a few nasty words during the winther

Thanks

[ThisIsMelissa]

If you want non-disappearing heuchs, Melissa, stick to hybrids with H. villosa in them. 'Caramel' and 'Frosted Violet' come to mind, and a French hybridizer has recently introduced a bunch more ('Miracle', 'Tara', ...; google for Thierry Delasomething for more); those do fabulously well here.

I have found that they need more sun than I thought. They also need plenty of water but well-drained soil. I add Perlite because sand is not a good addition to my clay soil (have you heard of concrete?).

Viktoria

Caramel and Frosted Violet are amongst my most hardy heucheras. I've not had trouble with disappearing plants, YET. But this year, apparently the rabbits were hungry enough to eat my heuchs... a problem I've not had before this year. Though, it was more my own issue, for not getting the rabbit fence up early enough. Next year, I'm putting it up EARLY!

I'm starting my 5th season with some of my heuchera, so this is the real test. I'm also giving them their very own bed, so we will see if they get to keep it!

[thy]

I have never heard of them dying, but they have allways been know as growing tall after some years, the old ones too. I have just broke off the tip when my old big heuchras started to grow high. ( That was what I didn not dare with my new tiny spiky ones )
Why don't you send an e-mail to Dirk ? When I visited him years ago, he have had heucheras for years. You can find hin at www.hostadream.be
He may show up here one day, but then you have to wait

[Aud]

Pia I usually have snow cover late in the winter. So my Hercs get cold without the snow insulation. I agree the villosa ones have survived my very below freezing temps and no sow cover. The one that has been getting smaller and smaller every year is snow angel. I am experimenting on that one I figured I cannot hurt it since it is on its last leg.

Last year I pushed a fertilizer stick into the soil. I do not know if you have them in your area. They sell them here to put in potted plants. Last year it grew a little better and a little larger. This spring I poured a 1/2 dose of Miracle gro around the plant. They say not to feed them but if it is a weak plant I am thinking maybe a little fert will strengthen the plant. I will report back the progress.

[thy]

Thank's Aud, Gave the garden some fertilizer today and made sure they got some. I even have those sticks somewhere- have to try to find them
My last garden had clay so I might fertilize too little here in the sand

Pia

[Aud]

Okay Pia do not to forget to show if you see any results I will do the same. I did read last night on one of the vendors selling Hercs say to give them a feeding in the Spring. That was the first time I have seen to give them fertilizer. Everything I have read said NOT to fertilize.

[thy]

My old ones wax mixws in with hostas. I normaly did not fertilize a lot, but I did give them alfalfa and what ever natural fertilizer i could find for a fair price - or a bit NPK and new compost one or 2 times a year - all in all they have been fertilized some in clay soil