The Beautiful Fall Foliage Plant That's Great For Growing In Containers

It can be hard to keep life and color in your garden as the fall days get shorter and darker, particularly when many popular plants are past their blooming season. However, there is one eye-catching plant that adds gorgeous autumnal foliage to your home just when you need it most. Heuchera 'Berry Smoothie' is a beautiful fall container plant that features broad pink leaves that darken to purple over time. This stunner can fill your containers with eye-catching color. Though its tall pink or white blooms peak in June and July, this plant's colorful foliage is a great way to keep your container garden looking bright even in the fall.

Heuchera 'Berry Smoothie' is a cultivated hybrid from species plants with medicinal properties. These are sometimes called alumroot and have been used to help stem bleeding, thanks to their astringent properties. Heucheras are native to North America and grow best in Hardiness Zones 4 through 8, though they can be observed growing in the wild in a range of different environments, such as prairies, cliffs, and even mountains. The 'Berry Smoothie' hybrid is perfectly suited to growing in containers because it usually only spreads about 1 to 1½ feet wide, making it great for growing on its own or with other plants.

In order to nurture your 'Berry Smoothie' and to get the most vibrant fall foliage from it, it's important to follow the proper growing instructions to help it thrive. This variety does well in partial sun, though it can be placed in stronger sunlight if its soil is kept moist at all times. Dry soil can result in leaf scorch or lackluster foliage, so regular watering is vital for keeping this plant looking its best. Though 'Berry Smoothie' is known for retaining nice color throughout the year, some varieties of Heuchera can go dull or colorless if exposed to colder temperatures, so it may be a good idea to place your plant in a warm location to enhance its colorful foliage. 

Although this is yet another one of the easiest plants to grow for beginners, you may wish to keep an eye out for diseases like Heuchera rust, which presents as discolored spots on the top of the leaves. Remove any infected foliage to prevent the rust from spreading and increase air circulation around the plant to avoid any more from appearing. Heuchera can also fall prey to vine weevils, small grubs which bite through the roots of the plant and affect its ability to grow. To prevent them, make sure not to overwater your plant. If you suspect your Heuchera has been infested with weevils, you may need to take it out of its pot, remove the grubs by hand, and then repot it with fresh potting soil once all the pests have been eliminated.