Introducing...
Heuchera
Common name: Coral bells
Making neat, low mounds of foliage in a wide choice of bold and exciting colours, heucheras make striking additions to borders and containers in partial shade. They are easy to grow, versatile and low maintenance, popular as ground cover and for filling in gaps between taller plants, providing colour virtually all year round.
Looks
Heucheras offer a wide choice of vibrant leaf colours – green, pewter-grey, deep purple, pink, bronze, apricot or zingy lime, sometimes marbled or veined, often with wavy or scalloped edges. They form compact mounds, usually keeping their leaves all year round. Tiny white, pink or red flowers are a bonus in summer.
Likes
Partial or dappled shade suits most heucheras. Darker-leaved plants can often take more sun, which may enrich the leaf colours. They grow well in most average soils – not too wet or too dry.
Dislikes
Heucheras dislike permanently wet, heavy or very dry soil and deep shade. Strong summer sun can scorch and crinkle the foliage, especially on paler-leaved plants.
Did you know?
There are several hundred cultivars available. Heucheras have also been crossed with closely related tiarellas to produced heucherellas (× Heucherella), widening your choices even further.
Growing guide
How to grow heuchera
All the information you’ll need to grow and care for heucheras in your garden.
Heucheras we recommend
Heuchera 'Walnut' (Fox Series)
alum root 'Walnut'
- 0.1–0.5 metres
- 0.1–0.5 metres
Heuchera 'Caramel'PBR
alum root 'Caramel'
- 0.1–0.5 metres
- 0.1–0.5 metres
Heuchera 'Purple Petticoats'
alum root 'Purple Petticoats'
- 0.1–0.5 metres
- 0.1–0.5 metres
Heuchera 'Walnut' (Fox Series)
alum root 'Walnut'
- 0.1–0.5 metres
- 0.1–0.5 metres
Heuchera 'Caramel'PBR
alum root 'Caramel'
- 0.1–0.5 metres
- 0.1–0.5 metres
Heuchera 'Purple Petticoats'
alum root 'Purple Petticoats'
- 0.1–0.5 metres
- 0.1–0.5 metres
Useful advice
Containers: winter selection
Growing plants in containers
Perennials: planting
Shade gardening
Get involved
The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.