How to Grow Heuchera (Coral Bells)? A Step-by-Step Care Guide

Heuchera is a common landscaping plant, mostly used in courtyard landscaping, woodland flower borders, flowerbeds, flower strips and so on, and it is fairly easy to grow, so how should Heuchera be grown? And what are the main varieties of Heuchera?

1. What is Heuchera?

Heuchera is a perennial cold-hardy herbaceous flower, also called coral bells, belonging to the genus Heuchera in the family Saxifragaceae.

Heuchera has basal leaves that are broadly heart-shaped and dark purple in color, and is evergreen in warm regions. The flowers of Heuchera are rather small, bell-shaped, red in color, and fairly symmetrical on both sides. Its flowering period is generally from April to October each year.

Heuchera was originally a native plant of the United States, but because of its good adaptability and fast growth, it has been introduced into China in recent years and has gradually become a commonly used landscaping plant.

2. How to Grow Heuchera?

1. Soil: no special requirements, but it grows better in soil with relatively low fertilizer content;

2. Light: Heuchera likes light and tolerates shade, and needs to be planted in a place with scattered light, avoiding direct sunlight; pay attention to sun protection in summer and increase light in winter;

3. Fertilizing: during the growing season, apply a nitrogen fertilizer once every 1-2 weeks;

4. Watering: follow the rule of “water when dry, stop when wet”, and water only after the soil surface dries out.

3. What Are the Main Varieties of Heuchera?

1. Purple series: including the “Flower Carpet” variety of Heuchera sanguinea and the “Purple Palace” variety of Heuchera americana, etc.;

2. Orange series: including the “Caramel” variety of Heuchera villosa, Marmalade, etc.;

3. Green series: including the “Strawberry Swirl” variety of Heuchera villosa; the “Waterfall”, “Paris” and “Forest Shade” varieties of Heuchera sanguinea; and Caramel, Peach Yellow, Aristocrat Purple, Snow White, Palm Heart, Camouflage, Goddess, etc.;

4. Red series: including Red Sandstone, Proud Sun, Setting Sun, Happiness, Red Tide, Purple Rain, Purple Jade, Indiana Silver Coin, Cinderella, Shanghai, Peach Crisp, etc.;

5. Others: there are also the black series such as Little Pearl Fairy, Obsidian, Night Rose, etc., and the variegated series such as Golden Zebra, Electra, Red Signal, etc.

The growing methods for different Heuchera varieties are much the same, so you can choose varieties to grow according to your own preferences.