How to Grow Coral Bells (Heuchera)

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Coralbells are the flower that set off my love of gardening and quest for horticultural knowledge. When I knew nothing about gardening, I stumbled on these wonderfully delicate flowers that looked like they were floating on air – no one knew what they were. In my quest to figure out what the flowers were, I stumbled into a lifelong love of gardening. If you’re curious and want to know how to grow coral bells in your garden, we have all the growing tips you need below. 

Bright ping coral bells growing against a sea of lime green foliage.

About Coral Bells

Coralbells (heuchera spp, alumroot are beautiful plants that produce delicate bell-shaped flowers atop tall flower stalks. These pink flowers are native to North America and have attractive foliage and beautifully colorful flowers that make a good choice for rock gardens, shade gardens, or ground covers and look natural in a woodland setting.

Coral bells do well in woodland settings as they are deer resistant. In my experience, deer will eat anything, even the flowers considered deer resistant, but with coral bells, I haven’t had any problems with deer.

Learn More: See our list of deer-resistant plants you can grow in your garden.

The colorful foliage of heuchera plants is rounded with scalloped edges that are usually evergreen and can be marbled or have dark lines or patches. The dark foliage can be incredibly colorful and even outshine the flowers!

Blossoms are bell-shaped and are very small( 1/4 – 1/3 inch long.)

Soft wispy coral bell flowers against a bright white background.

Growing Environment for Coral Bells

Coralbells are easy-to-grow perennial plants that require very little fuss once established.

  • Hardiness – USDA hardiness zones 3-4. Not sure of your hardiness zone? You can check out this interactive map to find your hardiness zone.
  • Light Requirements – Full sun to partial shade, although the plants will bloom more profusely in full sun. The flowers are best planted in a shade garden in zones with hot, dry summers. Too much direct sunlight in arid climates can dry the plant out.
  • Soil Requirements: Plant coral bells in moist soil with good drainage and plenty of organic matter. If planting in clay soil, mix in some humus-rich soil to help lighten and aerate the soil. Coral bells have shallow roots that require consistently moist soil; if they dry out the plant can die.
  • Flower Colors available: Plants have red, pink, and white flowers. The foliage is very colorful too! In addition to the showy flowers, coral bells have striking foliage, with ruffled leaves of dark purple.
  • Related: If you’re planning a shade garden, we have a recommended list of 14 flowers that will grow in the shade. Check it out!
A deep royal purple leaf of a coral bell plant.

Care for Coral Bells Plant

  • Water Requirements – Coral bells prefer at least 1 inch of water a week. Adding extra water on hot, dry days is a good idea.
  • Feeding – A spring application of compost or a slow-acting general-purpose fertilizer will be required for an entire growing season. 
  • Winter Care – After the first winter frost, add a layer of mulch to help prevent the shallow-rooted plants from heaving out of the ground during the cold winter temperatures.

How to Plant Coral Bells

You can grow coral bells from seeds, but many new varieties can only be propagated through cuttings or division.

  • Sowing seeds outdoors – Sow coral bell seeds outdoors in late fall or early spring. If planted in late spring, the plant may fail to flower the first year.  
  • Seed starting indoors – Start seeds in early spring indoors in seed trays 4-6 weeks before the last spring frost. 
  • How to plant new plants – The best time to plant purchased roots or cuttings is in spring after the last frost in your area. Set the crown of the plant just at ground level. Planting the rootball too deep can cause fungal diseases like root rot. Space plants 1 1/2 feet apart. 
  • Coral bells flowering time – Flowers will bloom in late May, continue to bloom well into early summer, and can last even longer if the plant is dead-headed. In areas with cool summers, the plants can last through the summer months. 
Heuchera sanguinea beautiful ornamental spring flowering plant, bright red pink flower in bloom, bunch of flowers on stem in the garden

Propagating Coral Bell Plants

Mature plants are incredibly easy to propagate by division, which you should do in early spring.

Planting coral bells from cuttings or roots is far more successful than growing from seed

You can also use leaf cuttings from new growth to propagate coral bells. To propagate by leaf cuttings, take a leaf with part of a stem attached and root in moist sand or vermiculite. Using rooting hormone powder or gel will yield better results.

They Make Lovely Cut Flowers & Container Plants

Coral bells make an excellent addition to a cut flower garden. They add lovely texture to vase displays and bouquets.

The plants also make wonderful container gardening plants. When the container grown plants die back, the foliage color is still stunning!

Common Insect Pests

Not many insect pests bother coral bells, but they can occasionally be infested with foliar nematodes and root weevils.

Foliar Nematodes

If your coralbells develop brown-yellow spots on the leaves, they may be infected with foliar nematodes. Nematodes are not insects but roundworms that are almost invisible to the naked eye. Unfortunately, there is no cure for foliar nematodes, and it is best to cut your losses before they spread through the rest of your plants. Dig up and destroy (do not compost) any infected plants with the growing soil.

Root Weevil

If the crowns turn black and die or have crowns that appear eaten, you may have root weevil. These insects overwinter as adults in debris and leaf litter around the crowns of the plants.

These pests are generally difficult to control. You can move healthy plants to another area of the garden. You can also dig up and destroy the infected plants (do not compost). The best control method is being proactive in the garden by keeping it clean.

Soft pink coral bell flowers against a forest setting.
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Common Diseases of Coral Bells

Several disease problems can infect coral bells:

Leaf Spot

Leaves may have transparent or black spots. Some fungal spots may have accompanying flecks or small black dots. Often spots come together to form large areas of dead tissue.

Control leaf spot by simply picking off infected leaves and destroying them. Clean up and remove dead plant debris in the garden to help reduce spore populations.

If the problem is persistent, you can spray plants occasionally with wettable sulfur.

Powdery Mildew

Fungal diseases like powdery mildew can be common in the garden, where the leaves and soil remain wet and have poor air circulation.

You can identify a fungal infection of powdery mildew by the ash-grey powdery mold on the leaves. Heavily infected leaves will become discolored and die.

Spray with wettable sulfur once or twice weekly to control severe infections.

Milk is said to work well for powdery mildew (gardeners swear by it), but I have never had success with the milk method – your results may be different.

Bright pink coral bells growing against a sea of lime green foliage.

Beautiful Flower Stalks, Perfect for a Cottage Garden

I mentioned earlier that coral bells were my proper introduction to gardening, and I have had a soft spot for them ever since. When I first saw them, it was in a very flowery cottage-style garden, and I was head over heels in love with the flower at first sight. I just love their tiny bell shaped flowers!

If you have a cottage garden, I highly recommend adding some coralbells; they add so much movement, texture, and whimsy! 

Do you have your gardening origin story? What was the moment you fell in love with gardening and couldn’t look back? We would LOVE to hear your tales! Leave a comment, drop us an email, or even tag us in your social media stories; we would love to watch and comment!

Do Coral Bells Spread?

Yes, coral bells will spread on their own. Not to worry, they can easily be thinned, and cuttings are used to propagate new plants elsewhere in your garden!

Do Coral Bells Attract Hummingbirds?

Absolutely! While your coral bells bloom, hummingbirds will love to dart in for a meal.

Do Coral Bells Come back Every Year?

Coral bells are perennials, so they will come back year after year.

Looking For More Flower Gardening Inspiration?

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Editorial Note: This post was originally published on February 26, 2022, and was updated on February 4, 2023.

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