Heuchera is a top plant choice for our cool climate garden

The temperate climate of Sydney is where I have gardened all my life, but since coming to Bountiful, I've learned some new lessons. The key one? The higher the elevation above sea level, the greater the difference in the behaviour of the plants I know and love.

Bountiful sits perched within the Great Dividing Range, a mountain range that runs roughly parallel to the eastern Australian coastline and stretches some 3700 kilometres from Victoria in the south, through News South Wales and north into Queensland. The range contains the snowfields of the Australian Alps, including Australia's highest peak, Mt Kosciuszko at 2,228 metres. In Sydney, we are at sea level and the climate is temperate, but at Bountiful we are at 1000 metres elevation, and as a result, our winters bring lots of frosts and the occasional snowfall.

Some of my gardening dreams struggle in this new reality, so it has't been an easy transition. If I try and plant the favourites I know at Bountiful, there is no guarantee of success. The one consistent thing is if a plant does grow here, it will do so far more s l o w l y. This is cool-climate gardening. Successful planting has been a trial and error adventure, but a champion has emerged from the pack and is proving to be a top pick for our garden, even with its blustery winds.

And the winner is ... the Heuchera!

I didn't learn about heucheras (also known as Coral Bells) at my grandmother's knee, the place where most of my gardening passion was born. No, this beauty first came to my attention over a couple of years visiting the Crookwell Garden Festival.  This annual event showcases a range of cool climate gardens, from palatial and impressive country homes to rural getaways and pocket handkerchief suburban backyards. There is a garden to inspire everyone, and I would often see this little perennial with its brightly coloured foliage adding colour to both shady and well-lit corners. Not many plants can truly thrive in both, and that's what caught my eye. I decided to give them a try at Bountiful.

Planted in different sized pots along a shady wall

 In full sun amongst other plants in a garden bed

In a shady spot next to a place to sit

The garden along our front verandah is awkward because the weather conditions are so different there in winter and summer. It faces southwest, so during winter it is shaded and frost sticks around. Snowfall will take days to melt completely. Come summer and daylight savings time, the sun is in a different place and that front garden wears hot sun and wind from around midday. It's a tough ask for a plant to thrive in such extremes, yet these babies have managed it  - making them a wise investment in my book!

I have planted two rows in a garden bed we have created in front of our carport which shares the same south-westerly aspect. I am hoping that as time goes on and they grow larger, the colours will run into each other and create a rich display.

Should have pulled the weeds before taking the pic!

I have also decided to plant some beneath a Little Gem Magnolia tree we have potted at the back of our house. This will receive sun all day. Apparently, heucheras get on well with most other plants so I'm hoping they all play nice.

The four heucheras - two 'Black Taffeta' and two 'Peach Flambe'. The piggy in the middle is Lysimachia congestifolia 'Midnight Sun'. I'm hoping they all do well with the Little Gem.

'Peach Flambe' in all its sunshiny glory. Many of the varieties have a contrasting colour on the underside of the leaves. 

I have purchased my collection of heucheras from many places, as they are readily available. They show their colours all year round, providing welcome pops in winter when flowers can be lacking. I was out and about yesterday and found many different varieties available.

 'Solar Eclipse'

'Lime Marmalade'

'Obsidian'

Heucheras do have flowers! Each variety has delicate spikes of tiny flowers that sit above the plants in summer, but in my opinion, the foliage remains the star of the show.

The flowers on 'Peppermint' are a great contrast of hot pink to the bright green foliage.

If your budget is tight, you can always go for smaller plants. I am a big fan of the Flying Start or UpStarts tube stock ranges which you can normally find at garden centres or the garden sections of large hardware outlets such as Bunnings or Mitre 10. Many of my favourite plants have come from these small beginnings.

Apart from those pictured, I have also planted 'Firefly', 'Stoplight', 'Tokyo', 'Glitter' and 'Ruby Bells'. There are so many to choose from, you'd never be stumped for a colour choice if you were wanting to mass plant.

A helpful tip when buying plants is to buy from a nursery near you. The plants they stock will be designed for your area - there's no point stocking plants that won't survive the climate, they would soon be out of business! If a plant catches my eye in Sydney, it has to pass tests for frost, drought and wind before I can consider it for Bountiful, and that's where the internet can be such a help.

Have you discovered a plant that is your go-to for reliability and colour? I'd love to hear.

These little champions are going to colour my world, so what better song for this post than Petula Clark's 1967 hit, Colour My World? The clip is so gorgeously Sixties. I remember the song being used by the Seven Network when colour was being introduced into Australian TV in 1976. I can't imagine telling you about heucheras if I could only do it in black and white!

Yours in colour

Tracey 🎨

With thanks to the delightfully named YouTube channel of Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine for Color My World Petula Clark {stereo}