Heuchera is the botanical name for coral bells. The plant was named for Johann von Heucher who was an 18th-century German botanist and Professor of Medicine. However, coral bells are native to North America, and there are more than 50 species in the genus.
The one that is most frequently found in our gardens is Heuchera sanguinea, which was discovered in 1846 in the southwest of our country. It was sent to England in1882 where it is still very popular in home gardens, as it is here.
Tiny bell-shaped flowers on 15-inch stems dangle above mounds of deep green leaves. The flowers are bright red, which explains why “sanguinea,” which means blood red, is in the name.
The plant flowers from spring into fall if it has moist, rich soil. There is also a Midwest native, Heuchera americana, that our early settlers called alum root. It has mottled leaves and pale green or purple bells and is rarely found in gardens.
There is also a variety 'Alba' that has pretty, white flowers, and it is featured in an old poem:
"White coral bells along a slender stalk, like lilies of the valley, dress my garden walk. Oh, how I wish I could hear them ring, that would only happen when the fairies sing."
Plant masses of coral bells in the front of your borders and water them well.
This is Moya Andrews, and today we focused on Heuchera sanguinea.
