Heuchera villosa 'Chantilly'

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Heuchera villosa 'Chantilly'

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Kemper Code: C696

Common Name: hairy alum root
Zone: 3 to 8
Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Saxifragaceae
Missouri Native: No
Native Range: None
Height: 1 to 2 feet
Spread: 1 to 1.5 feet
Bloom Time: August - September Bloom Data
Bloom Color: Creamy white
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low

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Plant Culture and Characteristics

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Uses:		Wildlife:	Flowers:	Leaves:	Fruit:
Hedge	Suitable as annual	Attracts birds	Has showy flowers	Leaves colorful	Has showy fruit
Shade tree	Culinary herb	Attracts	Has fragrant flowers	Leaves fragrant	Fruit edible
Street tree	Vegetable	hummingbirds	Flowers not showy	Good fall color	Other:
Flowering tree	Water garden plant	Attracts	Good cut flower	Evergreen	Winter interest
Gr. cover (<1')	Will naturalize	butterflies	Good dried flower		Thorns or spines

General Culture:

Best grown in organically rich, humusy, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Performs well in full sun in the north, but prefers some shade (particularly in the heat of the afternoon) in the south. In the St. Louis area, best foliage color may occur in sunny spots with part afternoon shade. This species has good heat and drought tolerance and seems to do better in hot and humid summers than most heucheras, although some scorch and general foliage decline may occur if soils are allowed to dry out. If grown in full sun, consistent moisture is particularly important. Remove stems of faded flowers to encourage additional bloom. Foliage is essentially evergreen in warm winter climates, but the amount of retained foliage color in cold winter climates such as St. Louis depends in large part upon the severity of the temperatures. In cold winter climates, a winter mulch applied after the ground freezes will help prevent root heaving. Divide clumps in spring every 3-4 years.

Noteworthy Characteristics:

Heuchera villosa, sometimes commonly called hairy alum root, is a species of coral bells that is native to rocky wooded slopes from Virginia to Georgia and Tennessee. It is primarily noted for its (1) large, hairy, triangularly-lobed (7-9 lobes), sharply-toothed, green leaves (to 5” across) that have a velvety texture, (2) hairy, rusty-brown flowering stems and leaf stalks and (3) mid to late summer flowering (probably the latest in the genus). ‘Chantilly’ is a vigorous cultivar noted for its brown-tinted medium green leaves and creamy white summer flowers. Leaves typically form a rounded basal clump to 12” tall and as wide. Tiny, creamy-white flowers (1/4” wide) borne in open, airy panicles appear from mid-summer to early fall on slender, upright, wiry stalks rising above the foliage mound to 20-26” tall.

Problems:

No serious insect or disease problems. Frost heaving of roots when winter temperatures fluctuate widely is less likely to occur with this species than with many other heucheras.

Uses:

Mass as a ground cover or group. Rock gardens, borders, open woodland gardens, cottage gardens, native plant areas or rocky slopes. Effective as an edger along paths or walkways.