Coral bells 'Lime Rickey'
Heuchera 'Lime Rickey' · Saxifragaceae
Ruffled leaves that open chartreuse in spring and settle to lime green, with small white flowers. They light up shade like a lamp.
- Size
- 8 in tall, 16 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 9
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves; flowers late May to mid July
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around coral bells 'Lime Rickey'
The planner designed this bed around coral bells 'Lime Rickey' 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 'Lime Rickey' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Coral bells 'Lime Rickey' × 7, chartreuse leaves
- 2 Blue star creeper × 8, blue
- 3 Turtlehead 'Hot Lips' × 3, pink
- 4 Tall astilbe 'Superba' × 3, purple
- 5 Bleeding heart × 1, pink
- 6 Scarlet coral bells × 8, pink
- 7 Grecian windflower × 12, blue
- 8 Double snowdrop × 12, white
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- The only bold leaves here. The rest are fine and medium. A change of leaf keeps plants distinct when nothing is in flower.
Why here
- On the front edge. At 8 in it frames the bed without hiding it, and it is in leaf all season. It finishes 71% of the edge.
- 7 plants in 2 runs (4 and 3). Runs of different lengths make the edge a frame, not a ruled line.
- Bold leaf against fine. Blue star creeper is beside it: the strongest contrast of leaf there is.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, into winter. They cover the 11 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 7 of the 8 groups (88%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The flowers stay on the cool side of the palette: blue, pink, purple and white. The bed is balanced: the left half carries 47% of the visual weight and the right half 53%.
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 'Lime Rickey' goes in a border
At 8 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 brightest thing in a shady bed. It must have shade from afternoon sun, which scorches the pale leaves, and steady moisture. Stunning beside black or blue foliage.
- Lime foliage for deep shade
- Lighting dark corners
- Contrast with dark leaves
What to plant with coral bells 'Lime Rickey'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Black mondo grass: fine leaves against its bold ones; spires rising out of its mound.
- Hosta 'Halcyon': spires rising out of its mound; tall enough (18 in) to stand behind it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Bugleweed 'Black Scallop': adds the flowers, early May to late May; medium leaves against its bold ones; spires rising out of its mound.
Questions about coral bells 'Lime Rickey'
Does coral bells 'Lime Rickey' need sun or shade?
Coral bells 'Lime Rickey' 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 'Lime Rickey' 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 'Lime Rickey' be planted?
14 in (35 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 16 in (40 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 8 in (20 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many coral bells 'Lime Rickey' plants do I need?
At 14 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 9 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 9 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 28 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 seven in two groups.
Is there a native plant like coral bells 'Lime Rickey'?
Coral bells 'Lime Rickey' 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.
- Bloodroot: the same job in a bed; 6 in narrower, flowers late March to mid April.
- Woodland phlox 'Blue Moon': the same job in a bed; 4 in taller, flowers late April to late May.
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 'Lime Rickey' look like in winter?
Coral bells 'Lime Rickey' 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 'Citronelle' Heuchera 'Citronelle'
- Coral bells 'Firefly' Heuchera sanguinea 'Leuchtkäfer'
- Coral bells 'Georgia Peach' Heuchera 'Georgia Peach'
- Coral bells 'Green Spice' Heuchera americana 'Green Spice'
- 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
- 8 in (20 cm) tall, 16 in (40 cm) wide
- Plant
- 14 in (35 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Late May to mid July; airy sprays; white
- 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.