It is pronounced hewker-er, not hooker-er — he who hewks, not she who hooks — and what an amazing plant it is. Not so many years ago it was stuck in the ranks of dreary green woodlanders, but today it’s a star. Go into any garden centre and there will be a stand of Heucheras with leaves of any colour from silver, purple, yellow and lime, to orange, peach and black. On top of them may be dancing sprays of white, pink or red flowers. In the big tent at the Chelsea show this year there were two nurseries with stands showing nothing but Heucheras. All that flash and flamboyance.

But where to plant them? Well, good drainage is important, though it shouldn’t be too dry, and the paler colours can burn in too much sun. Part shade is about right. Trim off the old foliage in spring for a clean, new flush.

What kind of place? Well, there’s something about all that vivid foliage packed together in a mass that seems a little desperate to shock, so maybe they shouldn’t go somewhere they shout “Look at me” from the other end of the garden, but in a place you come upon them around an interesting corner, or in a pot maybe, then they can dazzle all they like. In the right place flash is fantastic. Why hide one’s Heucheras under a bush? The first real hit of modern Heuchera breeding came with ‘Palace Purple’, which is still around, although compared with today’s confections it is sober indeed. Many of the new varieties come from the US, the native home of the Heucheras, and as with American irises and hostas, many come with foodie names — ‘Berry Smoothie’, ‘Peach Flambé’, ‘Crème Brûlée’ — or fast-lane names such as ‘Hollywood’ and ‘Rave On’.

In some varieties the leaf colour changes and darkens over the season; ‘Tiramisu’ is a classic, going from pink to browny-red. Some come with frilly foliage, such as ‘Prince’, or they may be rounded or palmate, smooth, shiny or corrugated, and all of them are to a fair extent are evergreen. Versatile indeed.

The flowers are airy and delicate, although not always showy. In the black-leaved ‘Obsidian’ they are white and show up especially well. Some flower mid-season; some, such as the heavy-duty pink ‘Paris’, flower constantly (any city name is usually a sign of being bred for a long flowering season). Heucheras pick very well, too. And the nurserymen are crossing them with another genus of previously unsung woodlanders, Tiarella, to create another range of loud-leaved hybrids, this time with fluffy poker flowers and known as Heucherellas.

All Heucheras and their offspring have an Achilles’ heel. Well, foot, really. Vine weevil larvae can eat their roots. Don’t panic: they eat sedums and primulas, too, and we still grow them, but they do have to be watched for, especially when you introduce a new specimen to your garden.

If the weevils do have a feast and the plant lifts rootless off the ground you can at least pick out any remaining white larvae from the woody base of the plant (“Like getting maggots out of a sheep’s foot,” my wife says), break it up into its constituent starchy “fingers” and plant them separately, somewhere shady. They will easily root again and before you know it you’ll have half a dozen happy Heucheras.

Serious Heuchera specialists include . . .

Heucheraholics, Lymington, Hants, 01590 670581, www.heucheraholics.co.uk; Plantagogo, Crewe, Cheshire, 01270 820335, www.plantagogo.com

Collections from: Thompson and Morgan, 0844 2485383, www.thompson-morgan.com; RHS Plants 0844 5572622 www.rhsplants.co.uk

Some good Heucheras to look out for . . .

‘Marmalade’, pink, turning orange and dark sienna, with creamy flowers; ‘Tiramisu’, yellow with red veins, turning orange; ‘Lime Marmalade’, a lime-coloured Heuchera that doesn’t burn up in sun; ‘Rave On’, silver foliage and endless pink flowers; ‘Obsidian’, smooth black foliage and ivory flowers on red stems; ‘Paris’, silver and green leaves, with deep pink flowers over a long season.

Explore Gardens

• Hampton Court Palace Flower Show

• Chelsea Flower Show

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