Heuchera or Coral Bells

Heuchera, commonly called Coral Bells or Alumroot, is a genus of more than 40 species in the Saxifragaceae family.  All are native to North America.  While several species of coral bells have long histories as medicinal plants, their primary popularity today is as an ornamental plant in the home landscape.  Many of these

ornamental plants are complex hybrids between several species and represent a vast array of colors and sizes of leaves, flowers, and habits.  

Leaves can be green, red, orange, burgundy, silver, yellow, peach or variegated.  Leaves also have strong central patterns and/or a silvery overlay. Many cultivars also produce attractive flowers.  Some have open, airy clusters of tiny, bell-shaped flowers while others have tightly bundled flowers on upright flower stalks.  Flowers are available in red, pink, white or combinations thereof.  The flowers are attractive to many pollinators, including hummingbirds.  Hundreds of cultivars are currently available, with new cultivars introduced each year.  

Heuchera species

Each species below has been used in breeding many of the popular cultivars on the market today.  While these species may not be as flashy as their offspring, you can see some distinctive characteristics imparted in their lineage. The table shows some of the species used commonly in breeding programs.

Care

Some cultivars of Heuchera are more durable in the landscape than others.  As you might expect, those bred from species more tolerant of diverse sites tend to be more adaptable.  Regardless, most Heuchera grow best in partial shade to full sun in moist, but well-drained soils in Iowa.  Plants have shallow root systems, thus they may need supplemental water during establishment.  Newly planted Heuchera also have a tendency to frost heave their first winter in the home landscape. The freezing and thawing cycles of the soil  lift the plant out of the soil.  Mulching heavily after the first hard frost in fall will help prevent such temperature extremes and provide added weight to prevent heaving. A couple of years after planting, the root system should be fully established and less likely to heave.

Some durable varieties of Heuchera for Iowa include the “old fashioned coral bells,” ‘Obsidian’ (dark foliage), ‘Green Spice” (green leaves with dark central markings), and ‘Southern Comfort’ (large orange leaves).

*Steadfast Plants, LLC develops new varieties of Heuchera sp. and related genera for commercial markets.