How to tidy up heathers for neat and compact blooms

Q. How do I cut back the larger heathers in my garden without ruining them? My efforts so far have disfigured some of the plants. Is there a preferred method or time of year for reducing the size of heathers?

Article content

A. Heathers are kept as compact and neat as possible by cutting them back after flowering. Remove only the faded flower stems and any fresh growth tips sticking out enough to detract from a plant’s tidy appearance. Avoid cutting into leafless wood.

Article content

Even with annual post-bloom pruning, eventually some heathers become woody and straggly beyond redemption. Then, it is best to dig them out, renovate the soil, and replace them with young transplants. The ones that settle in most easily and flourish best in my garden are very young heathers, purchased in 10-cm wide pots.

Q. A few of the Heuchera (coral bells) plants that I’ve had in the garden for several years are now looking rather peculiar. The ornamental foliage I value in these perennials seems to be perched well above the ground. Why has this happened, and is there a way to return the plants to their low-growing ground cover habit?

Article content

A. Many heucheras have the habit of rising, with the years, well above ground level on woody bases that gradually elongate. I’ve seen this “elevator” heuchera look described as turning the plants into “tufts of leaves on stilts.”

Solutions are easy. One is to cut the tall stems back to between five and eight cm. Another is to lift the plant, divide it into sections and replant the individual tufts of leaves with the elongated stems buried in the soil. Ideally, this is done in spring.

Occasionally, when weeding, I accidentally pull out a tuft of heuchera leaves from a multi-stemmed plant. When that happens, even if it is in summer, rather than discard the uprooted plantlet you can usually preserve it by inserting the stem into modestly moist soil in a site that is sheltered from hot afternoon sun.