How to Grow Heucheras

Heucheras, also known as coral bells, add bold colour and texture to your garden throughout the year. Plant them at the front of borders or in containers to show off their gorgeous foliage. With hundreds of different shades, you can find a heuchera to match whatever colour scheme you choose for your garden.

Few perennial plants can match heucheras (coral bells) for the sheer variety of colours available. From deep inky purples to bright reds and lime greens, you can create a rainbow of colour using these pretty plants. Classed as a semi-evergreen perennial, heucheras keep their leaves year round in mild parts of the UK, making them an excellent choice for brightening up beds during autumn and winter when most other herbaceous perennials are dormant.

Although most people grow heucheras for their foliage, they also produce tall stems of tiny pink, red or white flowers in late spring and early summer, which are popular with pollinators. Heucheras are hardy and easy to grow, as long as their roots don’t get too wet or too dry.

Where to plant heucheras

Heucheras prefer partial or dappled shade and well-drained soil. Darker-leaved varieties such as ‘Black Pearl’ and ‘Forever Purple’ will cope better in full sun, as the leaves are less likely to get scorched. If you’re looking for heucheras for shade, try ‘Lime Marmalade’ or ‘Apple Crisp’. Purple heuchera can do well in dry shade, as long as you water them well while they’re getting established.

Heucheras are excellent ground cover plants and are best situated at the front of beds and borders where their foliage can best be admired. They don’t like very wet or very dry soil but otherwise they're not too fussy. You can also grow heucheras in pots filled with loam-based compost.

When to plant heucheras

The best time to put heuchera plants in the ground is in spring or autumn, as the soil is warm and moist. If you’re planting them during the winter, avoid times when the ground is frozen. You can plant heucheras in summer, just make sure you water them well.

How to plant heucheras

Plant heucheras at the same depth they were growing in the pot or slightly higher to prevent the crown from rotting. It’s a good idea to mix a bucketful of compost into the soil before planting to add nutrients and improve drainage. New plants will need watering regularly during the first growing season to help them develop strong roots.

When planting in containers, make sure your pot has good drainage – you may want to add some broken crockery or gravel to the bottom of the pot to help with this. You can plant heucheras on their own in a pot or in a large container as part of a mixed display. Plant heucheras with the crown at or slightly above the surface.

Caring for a heuchera

Heucheras are pretty resilient plants and don’t require a lot of attention once established. They will appreciate some water in dry periods, particularly if they’re in sunnier positions, and you can add a fertiliser, such as fish, blood and bone, in spring. Heucheras grown in pots will need regular watering, though make sure they don’t get waterlogged. Feed them fortnightly during the growing season with a liquid feed, such as tomato feed.

Heucheras have shallow roots that can become exposed and dry out in winter. Add a thick layer of mulch around the base of the plants in autumn to help protect the roots. The leaves on semi-evergreen heuchera varieties may die off in winter in colder parts of the country. Leave the leaves on through the winter to protect the crown of the plant and tidy them up in spring.

Once the plant has finished flowering, trim the stems at the base to encourage the heuchera to produce more flowers and leaves.

Heuchera propagation

To keep heucheras vigorous and healthy, it’s best to divide plants every three to five years. This is also the easiest way to propagate heuchera plants. Dividing heuchera is best done in late spring, when the first growth starts, though you can also divide mature plants in early autumn.

Here’s how to divide your heuchera plants:

1. Dig up the plant and use your hands to prise sections away from the crown. Make sure each section has a couple of healthy shoots as well as roots. Once you’ve done this, you can add the woody crown to your compost heap.

2. Plant each section in a pot filled with a mix of potting compost (75%) and horticultural grit (25%).

3. Leave the pots in a sheltered, shady place while the plants develop roots, making sure you water them in dry periods.

4. Once the plants are looking healthy and growing vigorously, you can plant them out in their new permanent homes.

This method gives the new plants the best chance of developing strong root systems, but you can also plant heuchera divisions straight into the ground. Remember, they don’t like to be waterlogged, so you may need to mix some grit or sand into your soil to help with drainage.

Heuchera plant problems

Heucheras are remarkably resilient and disease-resistant. Other than scorched leaves, which can occur when plants get too much sun, there are two problems you may come across with your heucheras:

• Heuchera rust: This is a fungal disease that tends to occur during wet summers. You may see brown spots on top of the leaf and orange, brown or grey pustules underneath. To help prevent rust, make sure there’s good air circulation around your heucheras and water them in the morning, so the leaves can dry out.

• Vine weevils: These grubs eat the plant’s roots during autumn and winter, which can cause the plant to wilt and die. Heucheras grown in containers are more likely to be affected. Adding a layer of gravel on top of the compost when you plant the heucheras can help prevent the bugs from laying eggs. If your heucheras start wilting and a stem comes away with a gentle tug, you may have a vine weevil problem. Empty the pot and clean it, then wash the roots of the plant to make sure all eggs and grubs are gone. You can then repot it in fresh compost.

Our favourite varieties of heucheras

Possibly the hardest part of growing heucheras is choosing which heuchera varieties to include in your garden. It’s tough to narrow down the choice when there’s such a beautiful range of colours, but here are some of my favourites:

Heuchera ‘Lime Marmalade’: A tough variety that’s one of the best heuchera plants for shade. White flowers shoot above the bright lime-green ruffled leaves in summer. 

Heuchera ‘Green Spice’: This decorative plant has silver-green leaves, ringed with green, and burgundy veins. Plant it along the front of borders or in pots to display the pretty foliage to best effect. 

Hechera ‘Marmalade’: A popular variety with ruffled maple-shaped leaves in tones of bronze, red and peach with pink undersides. It can cope with full sun, as long as the soil is moist.

Heuchera ‘Wild Rose’: Perfect for adding colour to your beds, this cultivar has bright rosy-purple leaves and pink flowers. It’s faster-growing than other varieties and is a good choice for ground cover. 

Heuchera ‘Forever Purple’: ‘Forever Purple’ has vibrant, glossy purple leaves, a few shades darker than ‘Wild Rose’. It grows well and keeps its colour in sunny spots.

Heuchera ‘Obsidian’: Tiny white flowers contrast dramatically with deep reddish purple leaves that darken to black as the season progresses. 

FAQ

Are heucheras evergreen?

Heucheras are either evergreen or semi-evergreen, meaning they keep their leaves year round in mild areas. In colder parts of the country, the leaves may die back in winter – leave these in place to protect the crown until spring.

Do heucheras like sun or shade?

Heucheras prefer partial shade, as too much sun can scorch their leaves. Darker-leaved varieties such as ‘Forever Purple’ and ‘Obsidian’ are better for sunnier locations, and ‘Lime Marmalade’ is a good option for areas of heavier shade.

Where should I plant heuchera in a border?

Heucheras are low-growing and are best planted at the front of borders where they can show off their gorgeous foliage to best effect. You can also plant different varieties together in a border to create a rainbow effect.

Do slugs eat heuchera?

Slugs tend to avoid heucheras, particularly if there are tastier plants to munch on nearby. This makes them a good option for shady areas, though make sure the soil isn’t too wet.

Are heuchera poisonous to dogs

Heucheras aren’t toxic, so you don’t need to worry if your dog or cat has been nibbling at leaves. If they eat a large amount, they may get an upset stomach, but this shouldn’t be dangerous and the plant is likely to come off worse!