I have a confession to make…once upon a time, I thought Hostas and Heucheras were boring. That was when I was an ignorant but opinionated teenager (weren’t we all?). And, it was before the breeders and hybridizers created all these drop-dead gorgeous colors and variegations.

Hostas and Heucheras have a few other traits in common: not invasive, easy care, few pests or diseases (not counting deer!). There are some Heuchera cultivars that claim to be deer resistant, but we all know deer will eat anything if they are hungry enough!

Most perennials, because they are perennials, only bloom for a little while – they have to save up some energy to come back next year and can’t squander all their resources on blooming extravagantly all season.

Foliage Loves

Now, I love blooming perennials too, but Hostas and Heucheras don’t even need to bloom to be beautiful – the foliage is the star and the foliage does last all season.

I get a huge kick out of the cultivars’ names: Big Daddy, Blue Angel, Empress Wu, Sum and Substance, and Guacamole are some of the hostas I have in my gardens. Sometimes I buy a hosta because I like the name (sort of like betting on a race horse because you like its name, but buying a hosta is a sure thing and betting on a horserace is, well, you know…)

I’m in love with the heuchera names, too: Paprika, Lime Marmalade, Caramel, Southern Comfort – should I plant it, drink it, eat it or cook with it? Because most of my gardens are deep shade to part shade, I really appreciate the red, orange and chartreuse heucheras; they add some color to an otherwise monochromatic bed. I like to clump heucheras together for a greater visual impact.

Interestingly, the lighter heucheras are more sensitive to bleaching out in full sun, while the cultivars with dark foliage do better (generally speaking). The same seems to be true for the hostas I’ve grown too; the darker ones withstand more direct sun.

Some hosta cultivars, like Guacamole, have lovely scented flowers. Regardless if we humans can smell the fragrance, both hostas and heucheras attract pollinators – including hummingbirds. Love those little birds!

My Plans

I’m going to grow both in nice container arrangements this year and then put them in the ground come autumn. Some of my hostas need dividing, so I’ll tuck the extras in the container with a brightly colored heuchera, maybe some begonias and white impatiens. I’ll post a photo of the containers later this season when they’ve had a chance to fill out nicely (assuming all grows well).

Funny story about my hostas – we all know how much deer love hostas! Our closest neighbor, who is also a Master Gardener, is always losing her hostas and a lot of other plants to hungry deer. My gardens are mostly left alone. I tease her that the deer like her fertilizer better. I think the real truth is that her gardens are along the deer’s usual pathway and as long as they get enough food from her ‘buffet’, they don’t come over to mine. Sometimes, ya just get lucky!