This post has inspired me! Last year we planted a small grove of different Japanese maples, in a front side yard under a very large, old oak, in high shade. It is bordered by a curving pathway that leads from the sidewalk to our front steps, across the front of our old house, and that pathway is lined by pink azaleas on both side. I have been wracking my brains to figure out what, if anything, to plant under the small Japanese maples.
Aha! Heucheras! I have become fascinated by the many pretty varieties at the garden centers and in the catalogs, but I’ve held off on buying many of them until I could decide where I might place them. I think their many colors will work nicely with the foliage of the Japanese maples, and this site is on a slight slope which will help them with drainage. They will be close enough to a pathway so their details can be seen. Like the Japanese maples, their foliage colors change over the seasons, so I think it will be a dynamic display. Thank you, Tamara at My Botanical Garden!
Does anyone have any experience with heucheras as an underplanting that you’d like to share?
Source: Heuchera Lemon Chiffon
Old Herbaceous 
I love heucheras but they didn’t fare too well in my sweetheart’s cottage garden in Mississippi. It was a harsh summer and he wasn’t around to water them.
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Yes, I’m learning that they have mixed tolerance for heat and humidity. Apparently the hybrids with heuchera villarosa in their backgrounds do better. The Mt. Cuba Center did extensive trials of heucheras within the last few years, so I’m going to read up on those: http://www.mtcubacenter.org/plant-trials/category/heuchera-evaluation-2012-2014/.
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I have a lot of heucheras planted in light, partial, and full shade. They are tough as nails and can be divided and moved and keep on growing. I have not planted them under a low hanging canopy so I can’t provide advice on that one. I’d be interested in how it works for you. 🙂
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