Heuchera ‘Binoche’
Ever since the first of Dan Heims’ bright and beautiful heucheras started to reach these shores I have been a total sucker for heucheras. Whether you want colourful leaves in the border or in pots and baskets, there is a heuchera that will fit the bill.
But Dan Heims is not the only heuchera breeder. Thierry Delabroye in France has produced some very good plants but ‘Binoche’ was raised by the Belgian Dirk Scheys and introduced in 2010. I have to admit that, at first, I was not entirely enthusiastic about it. After all it is nicely ruffled and has nice dark leaves but it is not as dark as some and not as bright as others. The white flowers are carried on beetroot stems to give a slightly pink effect and, of course, the bees love the blooms.
But what makes this a quite remarkable plant is that it has sat in a narrow bed at the front of the greenhouse with little attention and without being divided, for the past 3 1/2 years and looks as fresh as a daisy. This is worth noting because apart from the heucheras that are so colourful and beautiful that they just can’t be bothered to grow, others form woody trunks and look old before their time.
Of course, it was named after the beautiful Juliette Binoche, star of, among other things, the delightful ‘Chocolat’.
Geoff’s rating
10/10
Garden rating
9/10
The Biking Gardener 
As you probably know, we are fans as well. Whenever I type heuchera I get heaters 🙂
LOL!
High rating indeed. The ruffled edges strike me as an advantage too as the vine weevil notches which mine suffers from would not be so noticeable! Like my Hostas, I have had to stick to planting Heucheras around the house as the deer love them too. Disaster for pots though as the vine weevil demolish the roots over winter. In the ground they seem to keep going and look good.
That is such a shame since most references say that heucheras are left alone by deer.
If it’s not deer it’s vine weevil! Predators and more predators, too windy, too dry, too wet at the wrong time! It teaches one to be accepting I guess but I can’t help having a moan! Deer seem to leave the green ones alone more.