Lots of slug pellets, for a start, Louise. Doubt its caterpillars this time of year, surely, though I know vine weevil can be a bit of an issue with these, but more usually in pots, not in the ground.

I think it is caterpillars as they are tougher than you think
We have lots of trouble on the nursery during the winter with caterpillars if we are not careful
especially little onse the same colour as the leaves or green onse
I have noticed one of my pots in my garden is being made a mess of by a couple of caterpillars I ment to sort it before coming to usa but I ran out of time I will have to cut it back in spring now and this one I didnt want to as I have a gardening club coming early spring!!!!

Vine weevil damage looks diffefrent if I was in uk with my photo libray I would put up a picture for you of both but i am not
If its caterpillars you should notice tiny holes as well as a lacey edge and they should be leaving droppings on some of the underneath leaves.
vine weevils damage is more like large c shaped cuts no holes and no droppings !

How should i go about treating and then preventing this now ?
Every single heuchera i have in the ground (got 4 on a big pot) is affected - in the front and back garden.
I have a couple of dozen in total, in various positions.

If it's vine weavil as Vicky suggests and they've laid eggs the larvae love heuchera roots - I've lost a couple like that, just don't look healthy, touch the leaves and the whole crown detaches in your hand. Bayer Provado Vine Weevil Killer 2 and Scotts Miracle-Gro BugClear Ultra Vine Weevil Killer are recommended for pots but I should think would work in the soil but don't imagine it would be too good for your soil bacteria etc in which case you should go the nematode route.

If it is vine weevil then as above.....

But I think as I said it is caterpillars and the best cure can also be found at the local garden centre just get a bug gun for caterpilars it maybe that they have gone into the ground to pupate alot of caterpillars are moths in this country and they do love heuchera
If you spray and it carries on (the munch) then you know it might not be caterpillars.
Keep an eye on them as they tend to come back and lay there eggs on the plant again
You can tidy the plants up in the spring even if you have to chop off all the foliage it will be ok in the spring
lets hope it is caterpillars then it is easy to treat and doesnt usually kill the plants
When I get back if I have time I will put you photos of both
I dont get back until the 18th dec though
In the mean time spray for caterpillars
Dont worry:)

Hmmm, i have sprayed with a Bug Gun in the past, sometimes it's helped and sometimes not at all.
The worst affected one didn't rally back at all, it just died infront of me. It was a beautiful big 'Creme Brulee' :-(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((
That was the one i found the biggest, fattest caterpillar on. He got stomped on i'm afraid, grrrrrrrrrr.

Every single one of mine here look ragged, holey and torn at the moment, there isn't a perfect leaf in sight .... apart from the ones in my pot.
Strangely, not much slug damage to other things though, so ...... there may be more stomping if i can 'find' them :-/

Think I had better check over my plants for these little ******s......Hope you get them sorted Louise....I know how you love your heucheras...

Make sure that you have a bug gun that does caterpillars (I am sure you did)
keep spraying though as offeren there is a cycle of caterpillars going on sometime really large onse need some other treat to finish them off try another type of bug spray a week later
You sound as if you have a caterpillar problem
When your heucheras die do they just wilt as a complete plant or do they just get smaller and more ragged looking ??
When they have died if you pull the top does it come off with no roots??
Ragged ragged leaves and torn leaves can soon be sorted next spring as long as we still have the main plant
It maybe that you have more than one problem here so can you tell me the conditions they are growing in?? ie dry wet shade etc.

slugs and snails dont like heucheras so its not them
they live around them but only use as a home they will not eat them by choice:)

Vicky, thanks for this .... :-)
I used a product called Bug Gun throughout the past year but i'm not convinced it actually had any effect.

The plants are sited in .... some in moist shade, some dryer shade, some drier semi shade and some in mostly sun .... my entire garden is on well drained soil.

When they die they never wilt.
They just get more and more eaten away.
The beautiful big one was eaten away and the remaining leaves were ragged and torn, it was dead at the roots too .... nothing really there .... just the browny black 'stalk', i found a big fat caterpillar nestled amongst the remaining leaves.
That one was in dryish shade.

I noticed today that the 4 newest Creme Brulees (planted a few months ago - dry shade) are looking ragged and torn.
Not one of my Heucheras keep the perfect leaf .... i think i'm going to have to give them up as a bad job here .... they just look SO awful.

Hi Louise,

so sorry you are having problems. I shall definitely be checking mine over tomorrow!.

Maybe a new type of bug clear or why not try the old remedy of washing up liquid - it cant do any harm and my mother used to swear by it.

I have problems with pansies and violas - something eats them and I cannot find out what.

Can you take a photo as this will make identification of your problem easier.
I still favour caterpillars as the main problem
I think what maybe happening is that all the caterpillars are not getting sprayed before they pupate
If they do the damage then go into the ground and pupate then you miss some of them hence the cycle keeps perpetuating throught the season.
You need to spray more than once follow instructions on the packet and keep repeating at first sign of damage
I dont think its vine weevil yet as they do not create holes only cuts on edge of leaves. they would also have wilted prior to dying.in most cases.
As for the position it really does depend on the variety
I will send you an email with some extra info. That might help
Hope this helps
I hope you can sort it out:)

I half read an article some time ago about something spreading to this country from America it was attacking and killing Heucheras , I wasn't in a position to keep or read the article properly but it seemed to be very worrying .. perhaps there is a way to check up on this .....

I've just been looking it up and it appears to be a rust disease brought into the country in 2005 on Heucheras it's mainly in the south of the country .
You can recognise it by the big brown spots on the leaves

So that isn't what is eating your plants ! ........

There aren't ever any brown spots Amy, just lots and lots of tiny holes and eaten edges :-(((
They look like a lace tablecloth :-(((((

I'm going to look at mine in the morning Louise ... :o(

heuchera rust was brought into the country in the south from USA but it doesnt need to kill your heucheras. They recover well, if treated, they can get it again but it doesnt spread to any other plants as some people think.It is heuchera specific and even heucherella have a resistance not complete though, however I have never heard of it on Tiarellas
I speak with some knowedge the subject of heucheras as we are national collection holders and specialists of them
If you see it on your plants looks just like any other tpye of rust really act immediatley and use common sense Worst time is when rust is orange as it is sporing then.
Here is what to do............................................................................................................
Take bin to leaves and cut off (not into crown though) as this DOES kill plant.
Best to defoliate completely (dont worry heucheras like this from time to time)
take a scaping of soil off top and put into bin with leaves
DO NOT TOUCH OTHER HEUCHERAS until you have washed your hands and equipment this hand sanitizing gel is really good for the job.
the rust is spead by minute spores and thats why you need to be so careful.
Then you need to get some rose clear 2 or anything with sythane in the product and spray for a few weeks and now again when you would your roses say .
that will ensure it doesnt come back
iIf you have had it then you need to just look over them now and again when doing a tour of the garden and if you see a spot on a leaf remove and then spray again
it sound like a lot of trouble but it isnt really its just better to be safe
Heuhceras in the usa have always had it from time to time but the hot weather kills it off but we dont get teh same tempatures they do.
It usually starts around the summertime when we have lots of hot weather followed by wet weather it spreads reallly fast in humid weather .
If you do not get it all though and keep an eye on it it will become a pain but they dont usually die from it.:)
phew I am exhausted now!!!
dont be put off what evr you grow has a nasty something that can be a pain!!!

I usually charge for ny talks you know lol:)
good job your all friends lol

Thanks for that information Vicky and the time taken in explaining it to us !

I only half saw this in a gardening book in a dentist so wasn't able to completely read it ... I'm pleased to know more about it .. Thanks ..:o)

Its a pleasure to be able to chat to you all when i am not on duty :)
I just want you all to know
what evr it is that you love dont stop growing it just because of a pest or disease as in most cases it can be sorted out in a few simple hits
Its a shame that so many people gave up roses they loved because of black spot
Its the same for most genius
Every plant has its achillies heal (noy sure if you spell it that way lol:)))))))
happy gardnening:))))