Coral Bells

One of my favorite perennials is Coral Bells (Heuchera). Native to North America, they grow wild from Connecticut in the United States all the way west into the American and Canadian Rockies, and along slopes in California.

Coral Bells or heuchera grows in part sunlight to shade. Last year, I tortured this poor Coral Bells “Purple Palace” by including it in the flower garden – the mostly perennial, some annual garden along the driveway. That’s the one I’ve told you about that gets bright, hot, direct southern sunlight all summer long for most of the day. I put the Coral Bells in the shadiest spot – at least I thought so. The poor thing shriveled up no matter how much water I poured on it, and I thought for sure it was a goner.

But plants are tougher than you give them credit for, and I found two of the three heuchera “Palace Purple” poking up through the soil in March. I transplanted them to a tiny area I just finished off next to the garage and right by the side steps up onto our wide Victorian front porch.

This little side garden gets only a bit of sunlight starting at 2pm, with mostly bright, shaded light.
I’ve added some hostas among the tulips and pansies too, so when the spring flowers die back, I’ll have my little shade perennials.

It’s also a nice small space, so my little resin statues, like the angel, look in proportion to the garden. I had small statues in the big flower garden next to the driveway last year and they were just lost in the space. In this small area, they’re in proportion.

I like to use Coral Bells to line pathways. The foliage is interesting and stays low enough so that it doesn’t overpower the rest of the garden. The flowers are pretty without being showy. The spikes of flowers can be profuse if the plants are happy; my mother’s little group of them in our garden in Floral Park was thick and lush after a decade.

For more informaton on Coral Bells, please see:

• Dave’s Garden
• Illinois University’s Fact Sheet on Coral Bells