Heuchera 'Black Forest Cake'

RHS Plant Profile

alum root 'Black Forest Cake'

Herbaceous Perennial

Buy this from Plant Nurseries
6 Suppliers

A clump-forming evergreen perennial, to a height of 20cm, with a mound of smooth dark chocolaty black leaves. Sprays of bright, cherry-red flowers appear throughout the summer. Grow in a sunny position for the most delicious leaf colour

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 2–5 years
Max Spread: 0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height: 0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Clay Loam Sand

Moisture: Moist but well–drained
pH: Acid or Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade

Aspect: East–facing or North–facing or South–facing or West–facing
Exposure: Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H6

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Saxifragaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Clump forming
Genus: Heuchera are more or less evergreen, clump-forming perennials with attractive, rounded, shallowly palmately lobed leaves and racemes or panicles of small, tubular flowers, often with colourful calyces
Name Status: Accepted

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in a fertile, moist but well-drained, neutral soil in sun or partial shade. The woody rootstock tends to lift out of the ground so mulch annually or lift and replant ensuring the crown is not buried. See Heuchera cultivation for more detailed advice

Propagation

Propagate by division in autumn or by cuttings when in growth

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Coastal
Cottage and informal garden
Patio and container plants
Rock garden
Flower borders and beds
Underplanting of roses and shrubs

Pruning

Remove faded flower spikes and tidy up old foliage in early spring

Pests

May be susceptible to leaf and bud eelworms and vine weevil

Diseases

May be susceptible to heuchera rust