American alumroot
Heuchera americana · Saxifragaceae
Rounded, lobed leaves, often marbled with silver and veined in purple-bronze, in a low, evergreen clump, with tall, thin wands of greenish flowers.
- Size
- 12 in tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 9
- Light
- Part sun to shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves; flowers late May to early July
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around American alumroot
The planner designed this bed around American alumroot when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) naturalistic planting in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why American alumroot stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 American alumroot × 3, green leaves
- 2 Leadwort × 26, blue
- 3 Blue wood aster × 5, lavender
- 4 Gray's sedge × 3, green
- 5 Hellebore 'Pink Frost' × 3, pink
- 6 Double snowdrop × 12, white
- 7 Giant snowdrop × 12, white
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
Why here
- On the front edge. At 12 in it frames the bed without hiding it, and it is in leaf all season. It finishes 34% of the edge.
- 3 plants in one run. An unbroken run of one kind gives the edge a clean line.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, into winter. They cover the 11 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
Planned as a naturalistic planting: low grasses and groundcovers, the matrix, make up 58% of the planted ground. The back corners are held by Gray's sedge and blue wood aster, the tallest plants on the plan. Gray's sedge flowers longest, for 15 weeks.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 3 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where American alumroot goes in a border
At 12 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is low (6 to 12 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
The wild parent of most coloured heucheras: tougher, more drought-tolerant and longer-lived than its offspring. It grows in dry, rocky woodland where little else will.
- Native groundcover for dry shade
- Rocky woodland slopes
- Edging a shady path
What to plant with American alumroot
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Pennsylvania sedge: fine leaves against its bold ones.
- Christmas fern: medium leaves against its bold ones; tall enough (20 in) to stand behind it.
- Wild columbine: adds the flowers, early May to early June; fine leaves against its bold ones; tall enough (24 in) to stand behind it.
Questions about American alumroot
Does American alumroot need sun or shade?
American alumroot grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun), part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does American alumroot grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 9. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should American alumroot be planted?
16 in (40 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 18 in (45 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 12 in (30 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many American alumroot plants do I need?
At 16 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 7 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 8 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 21 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
Is American alumroot poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat American alumroot?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What does American alumroot look like in winter?
American alumroot holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
Is American alumroot good for bees and butterflies?
American alumroot is visited by pollinators and specialist bees.
It is native to the United States.
More Heuchera
- Coral bells Heuchera
- Coral bells 'Berry Smoothie' Heuchera 'Berry Smoothie'
- Coral bells 'Caramel' Heuchera 'Caramel'
- Coral bells 'Citronelle' Heuchera 'Citronelle'
- Coral bells 'Firefly' Heuchera sanguinea 'Leuchtkäfer'
- Coral bells 'Georgia Peach' Heuchera 'Georgia Peach'
- Coral bells 'Green Spice' Heuchera americana 'Green Spice'
- Coral bells 'Lime Rickey' Heuchera 'Lime Rickey'
- Coral bells 'Obsidian' Heuchera 'Obsidian'
- Coral bells 'Palace Purple' Heuchera micrantha 'Palace Purple'
- Coral bells 'Plum Pudding' Heuchera 'Plum Pudding'
- Hairy alumroot 'Autumn Bride' Heuchera villosa 'Autumn Bride'
- Prairie alumroot Heuchera richardsonii
- Scarlet coral bells Heuchera sanguinea
In these guides
- Plants for dry shade
- Plants that grow near black walnut
- Deer-resistant plants for shade
- Rabbit-resistant plants
- Pet-safe plants for shade
- Native perennials for pollinators
- Native plants for shade
- Plants for bees
- Low plants for the front of a border
- Plants with purple and burgundy leaves
Zone guides: Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 12 in (30 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 16 in (40 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Late May to early July; airy sprays; green, cream
- Leaves
- Bold texture, semi-evergreen; green, bronze
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 9
- Light
- Part sun, part shade, shade
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Saxifragaceae
- Comes from
- native to eastern and central North America, from Ontario
- Attracts
- Pollinators, specialist bees
- Stands up to
- Deer, rabbits, drought, black walnut
Checked against NC State Extension and VASCAN (plants of Canada). Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.