Description
Heuchera is a perennial. The plants have a main stem and very short side shoots, so the basal leaves, growing several to each short shoot, form a compact clump. They grow fairly slowly.
The leaves are rounded heart-shaped, lobed, on fairly long stalks. The leaf stalks and edges are hairy. From the tips of the short shoots, long leafless stems about 40 cm tall carry panicles of small fiery-red, carmine, coral or white flowers on thin, springy stalks.
Requirements
They grow best in fertile, slightly moist soil, cultivated to a depth of at least 25–30 cm, in partial shade.
Propagation
Coral bells are propagated by dividing well-grown plants or by pulling side shoots off older plants. These shoots are treated as cuttings and are best rooted in a cold frame.
Care
They need covering in winter. Left in the same place for many years, they start to die back from the centre, so every few years it is worth replanting them and dividing the plant into several pieces at the same time.