Heuchera (Coral Bells)
You’ve hit ‘The Easy Button’ with Coral Bells. They’re no-brainers, my kind of perennial. Drought tolerant, low or nil on the critter buffet, tolerant of most light conditions and they can go years without dividing. Their only bad habit is occasionally popping out of the ground in spring as a result of soil temperature fluctuations. Correct the ‘uprising’ by pressing Coral Bells back down into the soil or have fun stepping on them gently as I do. ‘Deadleaf’ Coral Bells in spring and mid-summer by pruning off the outer, lower rim of scrappy looking leaves for a fresher look. Coral Bells should be divided when they get large and ‘woody’ looking. Dig the entire clump out of the ground and use a sharp knife to cut it into sections. Make sure each piece has a root and stem. If the Coral Bell has flowers on it, shear these off. The trick to getting divisions to take off is to replant them 1” to 2” deeper than they were originally. Depending on the cultivar, Coral Bells can take full sun to shade (not heavy shade). The range of colors and patterns on the foliage of heuchera and heucherella are nothing short of amazing. Some gardeners literally ignore the flowers on these shade plants, but not me! ‘Snow Angel’ pictured at the top of this page is one beautiful example of a heuchera in bloom.
‘Citronelle’
Bright, non-glossy yellow leaves with silvery undersides make eye-popping mounds in part sun to shade.
‘Circus’
The Spring foliage emerges chartreuse with green veins, then turns deeper green with burgundy veins. In Fall, the foliage is a mix of yellow, pink and green! Hot pink flowers in May.
‘Caramel’
Large caramel leaves glow in sun or shade. Creamy white flowers emerge in spring.
‘Fire Alarm’
And we thought ‘Fire Cheif’ was red! This is the reddest! If you love red, you’ll love this heuchera.
‘Midnight Rose’ This sassy Coral Bell has dark, purple-black leaves with hot pink spots.
‘Carnival Black Olive’
Carnival is a series bringing incredible colors to the party! Heat tolerant and a mounding habit make it a great choice.
Heucherella (Foamy Bells) There was some hanky-panky going on in the shade bed. Heuchera (Coral Bells) got chummy with Tiarella (Foamflowers) and a new baby (genus) came into the plant world – Heucherella, commonly called Foamy Bells, captures some of the best characteristics of both parents. Heuchera contributes exciting new foliage colors and an evergreen nature. Tiarella adds cool shaped, dissected leaves with central leaf colorations, plus its woodland heritage. Heucherella are stunning companions with Hosta, Astilbe, Fern-Leaf Bleeding Hearts, and shade-loving, ornamental grasses. They are easy to mix and match and can be used to create a breathtaking shade tapestry. Most Heucherellas do best in part sun to shade.
‘Pink Fizz’
Silvery-green foliage is deeply lobed with vibrant burgundy veining spreading from the center outward. Soft pink flowers are held on hard black stems throughout the summer.