Coral bells 'Citronelle'
Heuchera 'Citronelle' · Saxifragaceae
Bright citron-yellow leaves with silvery undersides, on a villosa hybrid that keeps its colour and vigour through hot, humid summers.
- Size
- 12 in tall, 14 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 9
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves; flowers late June to early August
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around coral bells 'Citronelle'
The planner designed this bed around coral bells 'Citronelle' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why coral bells 'Citronelle' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Coral bells 'Citronelle' × 5, chartreuse leaves
- 2 Creeping mahonia × 4, yellow
- 3 Turtlehead 'Hot Lips' × 5, pink
- 4 Japanese meadowsweet × 3, pink
- 5 Bleeding heart 'Gold Heart' × 1, pink
- 6 Siberian bugloss 'Jack Frost' × 3, blue
- 7 Double snowdrop × 5, white
- 8 Snowdrop × 12, white
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
Why here
- On the front edge. At 12 in it frames the bed without hiding it, and it is in leaf all season. It finishes 42% of the edge.
- 5 plants in one run. An unbroken run of one kind gives the edge a clean line.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, into winter. They cover the 13 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 4 of the 5 groups (80%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The back corners are held by turtlehead 'Hot Lips' and Japanese meadowsweet, the tallest plants on the plan. The bed is balanced: the left half carries 51% of the visual weight and the right half 49%.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 4 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where coral bells 'Citronelle' goes in a border
At 12 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is low (6 to 12 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
The yellow heuchera for the South, where others burn or rot. Give it shade and it holds a clean, luminous yellow from spring to frost.
- Yellow foliage for hot climates
- Brightening shade
- Containers
What to plant with coral bells 'Citronelle'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta 'Blue Angel': spires rising out of its mound; tall enough (3 ft) to stand behind it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Japanese painted fern: fine leaves against its bold ones; happy in the same moist soil.
- Mondo grass: fine leaves against its bold ones; spires rising out of its mound.
Questions about coral bells 'Citronelle'
Does coral bells 'Citronelle' need sun or shade?
Coral bells 'Citronelle' grows in part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does coral bells 'Citronelle' grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 9. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should coral bells 'Citronelle' be planted?
12 in (30 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 14 in (35 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 12 in (30 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many coral bells 'Citronelle' plants do I need?
At 12 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 12 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 11 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 38 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used five in one group.
Is there a native plant like coral bells 'Citronelle'?
Coral bells 'Citronelle' is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Coral bells 'Green Spice': the same job in a bed and the same size; wants average soil.
- Woodland phlox: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers late April to late May, medium leaves, not bold.
- Creeping Jacob's ladder: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers late April to late May, fine leaves, not bold.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What does coral bells 'Citronelle' look like in winter?
Coral bells 'Citronelle' holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
More Heuchera
- American alumroot Heuchera americana
- Coral bells Heuchera
- Coral bells 'Berry Smoothie' Heuchera 'Berry Smoothie'
- Coral bells 'Caramel' Heuchera 'Caramel'
- Coral bells 'Firefly' Heuchera sanguinea 'Leuchtkäfer'
- Coral bells 'Georgia Peach' Heuchera 'Georgia Peach'
- Coral bells 'Green Spice' Heuchera americana 'Green Spice'
- Coral bells 'Lime Rickey' Heuchera 'Lime Rickey'
- Coral bells 'Obsidian' Heuchera 'Obsidian'
- Coral bells 'Palace Purple' Heuchera micrantha 'Palace Purple'
- Coral bells 'Plum Pudding' Heuchera 'Plum Pudding'
- Hairy alumroot 'Autumn Bride' Heuchera villosa 'Autumn Bride'
- Prairie alumroot Heuchera richardsonii
- Scarlet coral bells Heuchera sanguinea
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 12 in (30 cm) tall, 14 in (35 cm) wide
- Plant
- 12 in (30 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Late June to early August; airy sprays; white, cream
- Leaves
- Bold texture, semi-evergreen; chartreuse
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 9
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Saxifragaceae
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.