The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Heuchera and given the cultivar name of ‘Berry Smoothie’. Heuchera is in the family Saxifragaceae. Heuchera ‘Berry Smoothie’ originated from a cross between Heuchera 794-3, a proprietary non-commercial hybrid, as the seed parent, and Heuchera 788-2, a proprietary non-commercial hybrid, as, as the pollen parent. This was part of a planned breeding program to create the different foliage colors using Heuchera villosa in the breeding lines.
Compared to the seed parent, Heuchera 794-3, the new cultivar has brighter leaf color.
Compared to the pollen parent, Heuchera 788-2, the new cultivar has much larger leaves, taller flower stalks, and a bigger habit. The foliage color for the new cultivar is brighter.
Compared to Heuchera ‘Beaujolais’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 19,577) the new cultivar has a larger habit, shorter inflorescences, and leaves that are an intense rose color in the spring and a rose purple color in the summer rather than burgundy colored in the spring and dark in the summer. They both have the large round leaves along with the heat and humidity tolerance of the Heuchera villosa group.
This new Heuchera is uniquely distinguished by its very large salmon-rose spring leaves to rose-purple summer leaves. In addition it has a large mounding habit, excellent vigor, and excellent tolerance to heat and humidity.
This new cultivar has been reproduced only by asexual propagation (tip cuttings and tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identical characteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by division and tissue culture using standard micropropagation techniques with terminal and lateral shoots, as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that the foregoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The present invention has not been evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may change with variations in environment without a change in the genotype of the plant.