Few plants have undergone a resurgence like heuchera (coral bell). It all started with the discovery of Heuchera 'Palace Purple', followed by Heuchera 'Montrose Ruby' in the 1980s. More recently, the efforts of Heuchera breeders Dan Heims, Charles Oliver, and Thierry Delabroye have driven their popularity through the roof. Today, heuchera plants come in a wide variety of leaf colors including green, chartreuse, yellow, peach, pinkish-red, and purple, often with patterned leaf veins. Coral bells were originally grown for their flowers, which are great butterfly attractors.
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Heuchera plants are best in the open woodland garden, but will tolerate a fair amount of morning sun provided they are sited in a well-drained soil that doesn't hold too much moisture. Plant Delights Nursery is focusing primarily on the hybrids that have Heuchera villosa as a parent, which we find produces the longest-lived, most humidity-tolerant plants. If you live in the humid Southeast and are looking to buy heuchera, then check out our selections for sale below.
Since 1988, Plant Delights Nursery has been the choice of serious gardeners and plant collectors looking for the best and rarest perennial plants. We are pleased to have received the Perennial Plant Association Retail Award in 2011, the American Horticulture Society Commercial Award in 2002, and to have been selected as one of the Best Mail Order Plant Sources - Garden Design Magazine 2010. Welcome to our family of plant lovers!
I first saw the handiwork of French breeder Thierry Delabroye on a 2004 trip to Holland. I returned home with a plant of Heuchera 'Caramel', and planted it beside other coral bells that were on trial. By the end of the summer (more than 100 days over 86 degrees F), most of the coral bells were dead. However, Heuchera 'Caramel' loved the weather. The reason is the use of the heat-loving Heuchera villosa in the breeding line. The 1' tall x 2' wide hairy clumps emerge with butterscotch foliage which changes to peachy-orange as the season progresses. These sun-tolerant plants are topped in summer with tall spikes of small white flowers. Pot Size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml)
If you like the yellow-leaf coral bells but they haven't proven to be heat-tolerant in your climate, your solution is here. From France's Thierry Delabroye comes Heuchera 'Citronelle', a gold leaf mutation from his wonderful Heuchera villosa hybrid, Heuchera 'Caramel'. Like its parent, Heuchera 'Citronelle' makes a 1' tall x 18" wide clump of golden foliage, topped in summer with tall spikes of small white flowers. Heuchera 'Citronelle' doesn't seem to enjoy full sun like most of its siblings...must be a blonde thing. Pot Size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml)
This 2002 introduction from the great coral bell breeding work of Pennsylvania's Charles Oliver has proven to be the industry standard of purple-foliage heucheras. The key was the inclusion of our native Heuchera villosa in the parentage, a trend that continues to this day. The attractive, pink-purple foliage with darker veining adorns the huge 2' or wider clump. In late spring, the clumps are topped with 30" flower spikes of small, light pink flowers. This vigorous grower is a real winner...especially for East Coast gardeners. Pot Size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml)
Heuchera 'Georgia Peach' is the newest coral bell hybrid containing the heat-loving H. villosa. We were particularly impressed at how well they looked after our 3 weeks above 100 degrees F. This vigorous Terra Nova introduction makes a 2' wide clump of large peachy-red leaves, each highlighted by darker red veining. The 14" tall clumps are topped in late summer with 30" spikes of small white flowers. Although H. villosa hybrids are much more tolerant to adverse growing conditions, we still recommend a well-drained soil. Pot Size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml)
What an amazing coral bell! This 2007 Terra Nova introduction makes a small 9" tall x 15" wide clump of silvery leaves, highlighted with dark green veins. The clumps are topped from mid-April through early July with 15" tall sturdy spikes of small rosy-red flowers...attractive to hummingbirds. This is unquestionably the best flowering coral bell we've ever trialed. As with all coral bells, we recommend a well-drained garden site as well as dividing them every 2-3 years. Pot Size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml)
Heuchera 'Southern Comfort' is the Terra Nova equivalent to Heuchera 'Caramel'. The vigorous 14" tall x 2' wide evergreen clumps produce an abundance of amber-colored leaves that emerge peachy-orange. As the night temperatures cool, the entire plant takes on a coral-orange hue. This is one of those dramatic coral bells all of our visitors notice. The Heuchera villosa parentage gives amazing vigor as well as good sun and soil moisture tolerance. Pot Size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml)
Heuchera 'Tiramisu' is another great Heuchera villosa hybrid from Thierry Delabroye's 2007 breeding program. The clumps of amber/chartreuse foliage begin showing red veins as the night temperatures start to cool in fall. When the 1' tall x 18" wide evergreen clumps begin to expand in early spring, the leaf veins become so bright with red, the leaves appear to be red with a golden border. Pot Size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml)
We have long wanted a vigorous variegated leaf coral bell and it looks like Herman Oudshoorn of the Netherlands has finally found it. Heuchera 'Hercules' has performed particularly well so far in our trials, so we wanted to share. The vigorous 8" tall x 15" wide clump of medium green leaves, heavily speckled white in spring, is topped in late spring (June in NC) with 20" tall spikes of dainty carmine red bells. The leaf coloration fades in extreme heat, but returns when the temperatures cool. We find that a few hours of morning sun grows the best specimens. Pot Size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml)
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