Coral bells

Coral bells: how do you recognise it?

Habit

A compact rosette about 15–20 cm tall and 30 cm wide, with flower stems up to 40 cm.

Leaves

Round to kidney-shaped, lobed and scalloped, 3–6 cm, dark green and sometimes marbled; evergreen.

Flower

Small bells about 1 cm long in loose sprays on thin, straight stems, from May to July.

Colour

Bright coral to blood red; there are also pink and white forms.

Roots

A woody rootstock that rises above the soil over the years.

Flowering: May–July · Plants: March–May and September–October · Pruning: March and July–August

Why grow it?

• Bright red bells from May to July on long, graceful stems.
• Evergreen leaves: there is something to see even in winter.
• Bees readily visit the small bells.
• An excellent cut flower: the stems stay fresh for a long time in a vase.
• Small and compact: ideal at the front of a border, in a rock garden or in a pot.
• It tolerates more sun than most foliage heucheras.

Coral bells: where does it grow best?

• Sun or partial shade; it tolerates more sun than other heucheras.
• Light, free-draining soil: sand or loam, acid to chalky.
• Dry to normal soil: wet feet in winter are its worst enemy.
• Allow 25–30 cm between plants; it looks best in groups of three or five.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.4 m tall, 0.3 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -35 °C)

Goes well with

• Catmint: Blue flowers beside the red bells, in the same sunny, rather dry spot.
• Low-growing cranesbill: Fills the space between the rosettes with leaves and flowers.
• Japanese forest grass: Graceful, arching leaves as a soft contrast in partial shade.
• Ice plant: Likes the same free-draining soil and flowers later in summer.

Coral bells: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–May and September–October.

1. Plant from March to May or in September–October, when the soil is neither frozen nor waterlogged.
2. Loosen the soil and mix in some compost, and on heavy soil also coarse sand or fine gravel.
3. Set the plant with the crown just at soil level, not deeper.
4. Keep 25–30 cm between plants.
5. Firm the soil and water; in the first year, water regularly in dry spells.
6. A thin layer of gravel or compost around the base keeps the crown dry and the soil loose.

Care

Watering

In the first year, in dry spells. After that only during long droughts, and rather too little than too much.

Feeding

A thin layer of compost in spring; too much fertiliser gives floppy leaves and fewer flowers.

Spent flowers

Cut spent stems off at the base: this often brings a few more flowers.

Replanting

Every 3–4 years the woody crown rises above the soil. Lift the plant, divide it and replant the pieces deeper.

In pots

Use potting compost with some coarse sand and a pot with a drainage hole; water when the top few centimetres are dry.

Tip: Plant it in free-draining soil and firm the crown back in every spring: that way it stays compact and flowers well for years.

Coral bells: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March and July–August.

When: It is hardly pruned. In March, tidy up the old leaves, and in July–August, cut off the spent flower stems.

How:

• In March, cut off damaged or withered leaves, but leave the healthy evergreen leaves in place.
• Cut spent flower stems off low down, just above the leaves.
• For the vase, cut stems when the lowest bells are open.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division

Every 3–4 years, in March–April or September, lift the plant and divide it into pieces that each have their own rosette and roots. Replant them slightly deeper than before.

Cuttings

In summer, insert a rosette with a short piece of stem, without roots, into moist, sandy cutting compost. It roots within a few weeks.

Seed

The species can be grown from seed, but cultivars do not come true. Division is therefore the best method.

Coral bells: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −35 °C.

• Very hardy, to about −35 °C: cold is not a problem, wet soil is.
• Frost can push the plant up out of the soil: firm it back in spring.
• The evergreen leaves may discolour in hard frost; cut them off in March.
• In a pot: stand it against a wall, out of the rain, and make sure the pot drains well.

Diseases and pests

• Vine weevil: The grubs eat the roots: the plant wobbles, wilts or comes loose. Apply nematodes against the grubs in late summer and pick off the adult beetles at night.
• Rust: Orange-brown pustules under the leaves. Cut off affected leaves and avoid watering over the foliage.
• Woody crown: After a few years the centre becomes bare and woody. Lift, divide and replant deeper.
• Root rot: The plant wilts in wet, heavy soil. Move it to a better-drained spot or into a pot.

Through the year

• March: Cut away old leaves. Firm in plants lifted by frost. Add compost.
• April: Plant or divide.
• May: Flowering begins. Plant.
• June: Full flower. Cut flowers for the vase.
• July: Cut off spent flower stems.
• August: Cut off spent flower stems. Apply nematodes against vine weevil.
• September: Plant or divide.
• October: Plant.
• December: Evergreen leaves. Make sure the soil does not stay too wet.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The genus is named after Johann Heinrich von Heucher, an 18th-century German physician and botanist.
• In its native range, the red, tubular bells are often visited by hummingbirds.
• Many colourful garden heucheras are hybrids with coral bells as one of their parents.