Photos thanks to Midwest Groundcovers.

1991 Perennial Plant of the Year®

The Perennial Plant Association’s Perennial Plant of the Year® for 1991 is Heuchera ‘Palace Purple’. The taxonomy of this herbaceous perennial is somewhat uncertain with some authorities saying that it is a selection of H. micrantha and others arguing for H. villosa or H. americana. One thing we do know for certain is that ‘Palace Purple’ originated in England but the species which gave rise to this plant is a North American native. The seed lot which produced ‘Palace Purple’ was imported into England from a botanic garden in the United States.

This perennial is a stunning addition to most any landscape. The most striking feature of ‘Palace Purple’ is its reddish-bronze foliage which, on a sunny day, reaches out to grab your attention the moment you see the plant. Foliage height is usually not more than 12 inches but when the plant produces its inflorescences of small, off-white flowers in summer, expect these to stand about 18 inches tall.

‘Palace Purple’ is quite an adaptable perennial and performs well in hardiness zone 4 through 8. It grows in a variety of soil types although it will not thrive in heavy clay. The addition of generous amounts of organic matter to any soil is an important step to growing top quality specimens. It will grow well in soils whose pH is somewhere between 5.5 and 7. Light exposure depends on the area of the country where the plant is being grown. In northern regions, it will do very well in full sun but in areas with long hot, humid summers, the plant needs some degree of protection from the sun. Most desirable would be planting in a situation that has afternoon shade when the sun’s rays are most intense.

Probably the first person in the United States to commercialize this plant was Allen Bush of Holbrook Farm and Nursery in Fletcher, NC. Bush reports that he first received seed of ‘Palace Purple’ from Tony Hall at Kew Gardens in 1983. Its cultivar name originated from the fact that the first plants were grown on the grounds of the Queen’s palace at Kew Gardens.

As noted above, the most desirable feature of ‘Palace Purple’ is its magnificent foliage but it is a perennial that can be effectively utilized in a variety of landscape situations. It is a fetching focal point and is short enough to be used at the front of the border. Consider combining ‘Palace Purple’ with some of the following plants: Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ or ‘Valerie Finnis’, Oenothera missouriensis, Liatris spicata, Geranium ‘Johnson’s Blue’, Solidago ‘Golden Fleece’, Lamium ‘White Nancy’ or Sedum ‘Vera Jameson’.

Photos thanks to Walters Gardens, Inc.

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PLANT DATA

Hardiness
USDA Zones 4 to 8

Light
Full sun in northern gardens to partial shade in areas with very long, hot summers

Size
12-18 inches tall

Soil
Tolerates a wide range of soil types as long as good drainage is present. The addition of generous amounts of organic matter to the soil is extremely beneficial to growing high quality specimens.