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Coral Bells (Heuchera) - foliage plant, illustrated plant cardIllustration
Coral Bells cut-out illustration
Illustration

Coral Bells

Heuchera

Also called alumroot

Coral Bells is grown for its foliage rather than flowers, giving the garden structure and color all season long.

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Bloom time
Foliage plant
not yet checked
Hardiness
Zones 4–9
checked
Sun
Part shade
checked
Water
Moderate water
not yet checked
Mature size
16 in × 16 in
checked
Type
Perennial
house classification

Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.

Growing Coral Bells

Plant it in part shade. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 4–9. Expect it to reach about 16 in tall and 16 in wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years (not yet checked).

No toxicity note is on file for Coral Bells. That is not a clearance: check its safety for people and pets before planting.

Verification
Core facts checked
What was checked

Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.

See the 17 sources it was checked against

When to plant Coral Bells

Plant Coral Bells in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 4 to 9, spring means March to May and fall means August or September.

Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.

How big does Coral Bells get?

Illustration of Coral Bells drawn to scale beside an adult16 intall5 ft 7 inan adult16 inwide
About 16 in tall and 16 in wide at maturity: knee-high beside an adult.

See Coral Bells in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.

How far apart to plant Coral Bells

Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.

Space Coral Bells about 16 in apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.

Plant them
16 in apart
Per 10 sq ft
about 6
4 by 8 ft bed
about 18

Add Coral Bells to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.

Where these facts come from

Coral Bells' height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 17 published sources on July 29, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.

How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.

Comes in 16 varieties

Same genus, similar care - pick the variety you are growing.

Compare every variety in the Coral Bells group

Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.

VarietyColorBloomsHardinessSunSize (H × W)
Berry SmoothieFoliageFoliage plantZones 4–9Part shade18 in × 20 in
CaramelFoliageFoliage plantZones 4–9Part shade14 in × 18 in
CitronelleFoliageFoliage plantZones 4–9Full shade14 in × 16 in
Coralthis pageFoliageFoliage plantZones 4–9Part shade16 in × 16 in
Dolce Cherry TrufflesFoliageJun–JulZones 4–9Part shade1.5 ft × 2.5 ft
Forever PurpleFoliageFoliage plantZones 4–9Part shade14 in × 18 in
Forever RedFoliageFoliage plantZones 4–9Part shade12 in × 16 in
Georgia PeachFoliageFoliage plantZones 4–9Part shade16 in × 20 in
Lime RickeyFoliageFoliage plantZones 4–9Full shade12 in × 16 in
MarmaladeFoliageFoliage plantZones 4–9Part shade14 in × 18 in
Melting FireFoliageFoliage plantZones 4–9Part shade12 in × 16 in
Midnight RoseFoliageFoliage plantZones 4–9Part shade14 in × 16 in
Northern Exposure SilverFoliageMay–AugZones 4–9Part shade24 in × 20 in
ObsidianFoliageFoliage plantZones 4–9Part shade14 in × 16 in
Palace PurpleFoliageFoliage plantZones 4–9Part shade16 in × 16 in
Plum PuddingFoliageFoliage plantZones 4–9Part shade14 in × 16 in
Silver ScrollsFoliageFoliage plantZones 4–9Part shade16 in × 18 in

Good to know about Coral Bells

Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.

Worth knowing

Its shallow crown frost-heaves: winter freeze-thaw lifts the plant up out of the ground, baring the roots to cold, dry air. Iowa State rates it a top offender. per Iowa State

How much sun it takes

In cooler, northern gardens it takes more sun, but in hot, dry regions full sun scorches leaves and fades color. Morning sun with afternoon shade suits nearly all. per Iowa State and Clemson

Don't cut it back hard

Grown for its leaves, not cut back like a perennial. Deadhead spent flower stalks, tidy winter-worn leaves in spring, and divide it every few years to keep it fresh. per NC State and Clemson

Prevent frost heaving

After the first hard frost, mulch with straw or pine needles to buffer the freeze-thaw. If a crown lifts out, push it back down or replant it deeper. per Iowa State and Illinois

Give it rich, drained soil

It wants humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil. It hates heavy, soggy clay and will rot in waterlogged ground, so work in compost to open up any clay first. per NC State and Clemson

Draws hummingbirds and bees

The dainty bell flowers draw hummingbirds and bees. The tubular red blooms of the H. sanguinea type are an especially strong hummingbird magnet. per Iowa State

What pairs well with Coral Bells

Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.

  • Northern Sea Oats

    Northern Sea Oats

    Shares part shade and moderate water; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 3.5 ft, for the layer behind it.

  • Rhododendron

    Rhododendron

    Shares part shade and moderate water; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; taller at 6 ft, for the layer behind it.

  • Camellia

    Camellia

    Shares part shade and moderate water; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; taller at 6.5 ft, for the layer behind it.

  • Christmas Fern

    Christmas Fern

    Takes part shade to full shade and moderate water; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.

  • Bergenia

    Bergenia

    Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.

  • Hellebore

    Hellebore

    Shares part shade and moderate water; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.

  • Gardenia

    Gardenia

    Takes part sun to part shade and moderate to high water; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; taller at 4 ft, for the layer behind it; they only overlap in zones 8 to 9.

  • Autumn Fern

    Autumn Fern

    Shares part shade and moderate water; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.

All 8 companion pairings for Coral Bells →

Try Coral Bells with its top companions in a garden →

Featured in these guides

Best Plants for ShadePlants for ContainersThe Foliage GardenA Beginner's First Garden

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Design a garden with this

Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.

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