Forever Purple coral bells

Sun

Partial shade is best, especially afternoon shade in hot climates. It tolerates more sun in cool regions if the soil stays evenly moist.

Water

Water when the top inch (2.5 cm) of soil feels dry during establishment. Once established, keep moderately moist without leaving the roots waterlogged; containers need more frequent checks.

Soil

Humus-rich, well-drained soil, from slightly acidic to neutral. Improve heavy clay drainage before planting.

Height

1-1.5 ft (0.3-0.45 m), including flower stems

Spread

1.5-2 ft (0.45-0.6 m)

Flowers

Small purple-pink flowers on slender stems in summer.

Foliage

Rounded, deeply lobed, ruffled leaves are rich purple with darker veins. Evergreen in mild climates, but foliage may deteriorate or die back in cold winters.

Growth

Moderate

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Cold hardy
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1 ft (0.3 m)

2. After 1 year

   1.1 ft (0.32 m)

3. After 2 years

   1.1 ft (0.35 m)

4. After 3 years

   1.2 ft (0.38 m)

   full size

About 3 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Growth rate

Moderate

• Plant with the crown at soil level, not buried.
• Water at the soil surface and let excess water drain away.
• Apply a thin layer of compost in spring; avoid heavy feeding.
• Mulch around the plant, keeping mulch away from the crown.
• Divide ageing, woody clumps in spring, usually every three to four years.
• Check after winter frosts and gently firm back any plants lifted by frost heave.

Pruning. In early spring, remove dead or badly damaged leaves without cutting into the central crown. Cut spent flower stems back to their base after flowering.

Early spring

Remove winter-damaged leaves and check for frost-heaved crowns.

Spring

Plant or divide clumps, water thoroughly and add a thin compost mulch.

Early summer

Check soil moisture regularly, especially in containers and beneath trees.

Summer

Remove spent flower stems and watch for leaf scorch during hot weather.

Autumn

Clear fallen leaves from the crown and check that drainage remains free.

Winter

Keep containers out of standing water and avoid cutting back healthy foliage.

• Edge a partly shaded path with repeated purple mounds for year-round structure in mild climates.
• Pair with lime-green hostas or golden sedges for strong foliage contrast.
• Plant in containers with ferns and small shade-tolerant grasses, using a freely draining potting mix.
• Use beneath open-canopied shrubs where filtered light shows the leaf colour without intense afternoon heat.

Garden styles it suits: Woodland, Modern courtyard, Cottage garden, Small-space, Blues and silvers and Winter interest.

Plant it with: Hostas, Japanese painted fern, Japanese forest grass, Hellebores, Siberian bugloss and Foamflower.

Wildlife: The small flowers can provide nectar for visiting bees and other insects. Its value is mainly as a foliage plant rather than a major wildlife food source.

• Vine weevil larvae can eat the roots, causing sudden wilting or loose crowns. Inspect roots, remove larvae and use a locally approved biological control when soil temperatures are suitable.
• Crown and root rot develop in wet soil or around buried crowns. Improve drainage, keep the crown exposed and discard badly rotted plants.
• Hot afternoon sun and dry soil can scorch leaf edges. Provide afternoon shade and water deeply before the root zone dries out completely.
• Frost heave and ageing stems can leave roots exposed. Firm lifted plants back into the soil in spring and divide woody clumps when needed.

Not known to be toxic to cats, dogs, horses or people. No part is recognised as poisonous, but it is not an edible plant and eating it may cause digestive upset.

• Palace Purple coral bells (Heuchera 'Palace Purple')

  Usually has less ruffled, more bronze-purple foliage; leaf colour is generally less consistently vivid purple.

• Obsidian coral bells (Heuchera 'Obsidian')

  Has smoother, rounded leaves that are much darker, often appearing nearly black.

• Plum Pudding coral bells (Heuchera 'Plum Pudding')

  Typically shows a more noticeable silvery overlay across its plum-purple leaves.

Heuchera honours the German physician and botanist Johann Heinrich von Heucher, while coral bells refers to the bell-shaped flowers found in the genus.

Propagation. Division preserves the cultivar's purple foliage; seedlings will not reliably come true. This cultivar has been sold under plant patent or plant breeders' rights protection, so check current restrictions in your country before propagating.

Accepted botanical name

Heuchera

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.