Coral bells
Heuchera · Saxifragaceae Popular
Grown mainly for its colourful foliage, which comes in shades from deep burgundy to lime and silver. Airy flower spikes in early summer attract hummingbirds.
- Size
- 12 in tall, 16 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 9
- Light
- Part sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves; flowers late May to mid July
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Edging
A bed built around coral bells
The planner designed this bed around coral bells when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why coral bells stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Coral bells × 3, burgundy leaves
- 2 Moor grass 'Greenlee' × 10, tan
- 3 Brown-eyed Susan × 3, yellow
- 4 Siberian iris 'Caesar's Brother' × 3, purple
- 5 Mountain hydrangea 'Tuff Stuff' × 1, blue
- 6 Virginia bluebells × 8, blue
- 7 Meadow saffron × 3, white
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- A classic partner for moor grass 'Greenlee' and mountain hydrangea 'Tuff Stuff'. All are on this plan. A pairing gardeners have proved outranks a general rule.
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 34% of the edge.
- 3 plants in one run. An unbroken run of one kind gives the edge a clean line.
- Beside moor grass 'Greenlee'. A recognised partner: the planner puts such plants together where it can.
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: 5 of the 6 groups (83%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The bed is balanced: the left half carries 51% of the visual weight and the right half 49%. The flowering is at its height from late July, with 3 kinds out together.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 Good.
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 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: edging. A low, neat plant used in short runs of three or five along the front to finish the edge (or, in a formal bed, in one even row).
Grown for its leaves, which come in burgundy, lime and silver and hold their colour all season. Repeat one leaf colour along the front of a bed to tie it together; mixing several looks spotty.
- Foliage colour at the front of a part-shade bed
- Edging
- Containers
What to plant with coral bells
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta: bold leaves against its medium ones; spires rising out of its mound.
- Japanese forest grass 'Aureola'.
- Astilbe: adds the flowers, late June to mid July; tall enough (24 in) to stand behind it.
Choosing between it and a look-alike? Hosta vs Coral bells.
Questions about coral bells
Does coral bells need sun or shade?
Coral bells grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does coral bells 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 be planted?
16 in (40 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.
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 plants do I need?
At 16 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 7 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 8 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 21 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as runs of three or five along the front (or one even row, in a formal bed).
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
Is coral bells poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension and the ASPCA.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
What does coral bells look like in winter?
Coral bells 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 '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 '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
- Pet-safe plants for shade
- Low plants for the front of a border
- Silver and grey-leaved plants
- Plants with purple and burgundy leaves
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, 16 in (40 cm) wide
- Plant
- 16 in (40 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Late May to mid July; airy sprays; pink, red, white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, semi-evergreen; burgundy, purple, chartreuse, silver
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 9
- Light
- Part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Rich, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Saxifragaceae
Checked against NC State Extension and ASPCA poison lists. 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.