10 / JUNE 2022 PRIME
CORAL BELLS (Heuchera) By Jan Cashman
W
ant a small perennial whose flowers attract bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies? Plant coral bells, whose scientific name is heuchera! Coral bells are perennial flowers with attractive foliage whose leaves come in many colors. They have small bell-shaped flowers. The strong stems of the flowers stand up above the plant; the plants’ bright pink or red
flowers last well as cut flowers in bouquets. Cut back spent flower stalks to encourage rebloom. I have heucheras planted in my perennial shade garden more for their colorful leaves whose colors range from golden yellow and lime green to dark burgundy to silvery colors than for their flowers.
fall, you should transplant them into the ground because, left in planters, they may winter-kill. The roots that are above ground in planters may get too cold.
Because of their colorful leaves and compact size, heuchera also work well in planters as long as they have good drainage. In the
Coral bells are an easy perennial plant to grow. They are tolerant of a wide range of soils, heat, and drought conditions. During
Planting and caring for coral bells:
Jan Cashman
has operated Cashman Nursery in Bozeman with her husband, Jerry, since 1975.
a mild winter with good snow cover, the leaves of coral bells might stay evergreen. But trim any tattered, damaged foliage off in the spring.
