Palace Purple coral bells

Sun

Partial shade is best, especially afternoon shade in hot climates. Full sun is suitable in cooler regions if the soil stays moist; deep shade can weaken the purple colouring.

Water

Keep evenly moist while establishing. Once established, water during prolonged dry spells, allowing the surface soil to dry slightly between waterings; avoid waterlogged conditions.

Soil

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

Height

1-1.5 ft (0.3-0.45 m) in leaf; up to 2 ft (0.6 m) in flower

Spread

1-1.5 ft (0.3-0.45 m)

Flowers

Small cream to greenish-white flowers on slender stems in late spring and summer.

Foliage

Rounded, deeply lobed leaves ranging from bronze-purple to burgundy, with reddish-purple undersides. Colour varies with light, temperature and leaf age; evergreen in mild climates and semi-evergreen or deciduous in colder 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

Native to

Canada

Growth rate

Moderate

• Plant with the crown at soil level, not buried.
• Water newly planted clumps regularly through their first growing season.
• Apply a thin layer of compost in spring; avoid heavy feeding.
• Mulch around the roots, keeping mulch clear of the crown.
• Divide every three to four years if the centre becomes woody or the crown rises above the soil.

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

Early spring

Remove damaged foliage and check for crowns lifted by frost; gently firm or replant them at the correct depth.

Spring

Plant or divide clumps and apply a thin layer of compost around them.

Late spring

Check container plants and newly planted clumps for drying soil as flower stems develop.

Summer

Water during dry spells and watch for leaf scorch in strong afternoon sun.

Late summer

Remove finished flower stems to keep the planting tidy and reduce self-seeding.

Autumn

Clear fallen debris from the crown and check that containers drain freely before wet winter weather.

• Edge a lightly shaded path with repeated clumps for a low ribbon of purple foliage.
• Combine with hostas and ferns to contrast broad, dark leaves with green foliage and finer textures.
• Use in mixed containers with sedges and spring bulbs, keeping the crown above wet compost.
• Plant beneath deciduous shrubs where filtered light brings out the leaf colour without strong afternoon heat.

Garden styles it suits: Woodland, Cottage garden, English country, Modern courtyard, Small-space and Pacific Northwest woodland.

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

Wildlife: The small flowers provide nectar and pollen for visiting bees and other insects.

• Vine weevil: larvae eat roots, leaving loose or collapsing crowns, especially in pots. Inspect roots and use an appropriate biological control, such as vine-weevil nematodes, under the conditions specified on the product.
• Crown or root rot: wet soil and buried crowns cause decline. Improve drainage, keep the crown at soil level and discard badly rotted plants.
• Heuchera rust: raised orange-brown pustules develop beneath leaves. Remove affected foliage, clear debris and improve spacing and airflow.
• Leaf scorch: hot sun and dry roots cause crisp brown patches. Provide afternoon shade and water deeply during dry weather.

Not known to be toxic to cats, dogs, horses or people. No part is recognised as poisonous, but it is an ornamental plant rather than a food plant; eating plant material may still cause mild digestive upset in pets.

• Purple-leaved foamy bells (× Heucherella)

  Many have more deeply cut leaves with strong markings along the veins and denser, foamy flower spikes. Similar purple cultivars can be difficult to distinguish without a label.

• Purple-leaved bugle (Ajuga reptans)

  Bugle spreads by runners into a low mat and has oval, unlobed leaves with short spikes of blue flowers.

Heuchera honours the German physician and botanist Johann Heinrich von Heucher, while micrantha means 'small-flowered'.

Propagation. Divide healthy clumps in spring, retaining roots and growing points on each section. Seedlings can vary in leaf colour and do not reliably come true to 'Palace Purple'.

Accepted botanical name

Heuchera micrantha

Native range

British Columbia, California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

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