for the year. Do not prune ‘Palace
Purple’ for the winter. Deadleaf or
shear off any damaged leaves in early
spring to make room for colorful new
foliage.
other maintenance Heuchera
usually will frost heave with fluctuat-
ing winter temperatures. Plant in the
spring, in moist high-organic soil, to
allow establishment before winter.
Well-draining soil is critical for
overwintering success. Coralbells
benefit from a winter mulch after the
ground freezes. Gently press plants
back into the soil in early spring if they
heave over the winter. Division
generally is needed every 3 years in the
spring. Shade plants from afternoon
sun in hot climates.
related plantS Like the genera
Baptisia and Echinacea, Heuchera has
been the subject of much breeding
work in recent years, and the market
has been flooded with exciting new
choices. ‘Chocolate Ruffles’ and ‘Plum
Pudding’ were early purple-leaved
selections that whetted gardeners’
appetites for more, and countless
others soon followed in a wide variety
of foliage colors and patterns, as well
as some with an outstanding floral
display. A 2014 report from a 3-year
evaluation of 83 selections of
coralbells at the Mt. Cuba Center in
Delaware serves as a helpful guide in
navigating this staggering array and
choosing the ones that will perform
well in the garden, at least in the
mid-Atlantic region. The top perform-
ers as rated by the evaluators, who also
rated the highest with visitors,
included ‘Apple Crisp’ (green with
silver, showy white flowers), ‘Caramel’
(amber), ‘Citronelle’ (chartreuse),
‘Color Dream’ (silver with dark
veining), ‘Frosted Violet’ (purple with
silver, showy pink flowers), ‘Southern
Comfort’ (amber), and ‘Spellbound’
(silver with purple).Heuchera sanguinea
coralbells
Saxifragaceae
Tiny red, pink, or white flowers;
heart-shaped or rounded leaves
12–20 in. (8 in.) high; 12 in. wide
Full sun–part shade
Blooms May–July
Zones 3–8
pruning Deadhead plants to prolong
bloom. Old flowering stems can be
trimmed off to the basal foliage using
pruners, or they can be snapped off
with a sharp thumbnail. Stems can
even be simply pulled out of the plantHeuchera micrantha
‘Palace Purple’