Heuchera ‘Color Dream’ is a difficult plant to describe. Its foliage emerges red but becomes silver as the season progresses.

Heuchera 'Color Dream' in early July. The leaves are just starting to turn from red to silver.

Distinct red borders also develop on the leaves once the plants have stopped growing. This usually occurs after the flowers have died, however, dryness in the soil will also inhibit plant growth and so accentuate the colour contrast.

Heuchera 'Color Dream'. Later in the season with silver-green foliage red edges.

It’s one of a series of chameleon Heucheras introduced by Jan van der Top.

The story begins in 1997 in Chicago, USA, with a seedling from H. ‘Dale’s Strain’ that was growing among the private collection of Jan’s good friend and Heuchea specialist, Roy Klehm. Mr Klehm offered Jan the opportunity to choose a plant to take home with him, and the seedling he selected was eventually introduced as H. ‘Beauty Color’.

Three different stages of H. 'Beauty Color', one of H. 'Color Dream's parents.

A resounding success, H. ‘Beauty Color’ undergoes spectacular colour changes, as its edges change from green to orange to yellow to red, while the leaf centers change from a sharply veined red through to softly marbled green.

H. 'Silver Indiana', the other parent.

Jan wanted to improve on the all round performance of H. ‘Beauty Color’ by crossing it with a plant with a better flower habit, and H. ‘Silver Indiana’ was chosen for this purpose.

H. ‘Color Dream’ was the result, and combines colour-changing foliage with strong flower stems.

But this isn’t where the story ends, because Jan has since created H. ‘Magic Color’, with a more spreading habit than its predecessors. This is still being tested and no introduction date is yet known.

Jan is very enthusiastic about his chameleon Heucheras. He loves the way they constantly change colour and takes amusement in the problems they pose for garden designers!