Heuchera / coral bells

1. 1

   Pick by foliage colour

   Lime / chartreuse: Lime Marmalade, Citronelle — bright glow in shady positions. Orange / amber: Marmalade, Amber Waves — autumn fire colour all year. Deep purple / near-black: Obsidian, Forever Purple, Palace Purple — dramatic dark accents. Silver-marbled: Silver Scrolls, Northern Exposure Silver — striking variegation. Red: Cherry Cola, Fire Alarm — warm winter colour. For a first heuchera: Palace Purple — the original purple-leaved variety, vigorous and reliable.

2. 2

   Plant in part shade in well-drained soil

   Heucheras are woodland-edge plants preferring part shade — morning sun and afternoon shade is ideal. Full sun: leaves scorch and colour fades; many varieties get crispy. Deep shade: foliage colours mute, plants stretch and flower poorly. Soil: well-drained but moisture-retentive; clay needs grit forking in. Don't waterlog — root rot is the second-biggest heuchera killer after vine weevil.

3. 3

   Plant in spring or autumn

   Best windows: spring (March–April) for establishment ahead of summer, OR early autumn (September) for autumn–winter foliage display. Avoid summer planting — heat stress combined with root disturbance often kills new heucheras. Container-grown plants widely sold by garden centres in the popular foliage colours.

4. 4

   Watch for and treat vine weevil

   The single biggest UK heuchera problem. Symptoms: plant collapses despite watering; lifted plant has eaten root system, often just a stump remaining. Prevention: nematodes (Steinernema kraussei) watered into the soil in autumn (August–October) and again in spring (March–April) if needed. Pot-grown heucheras are particularly vulnerable; treat all new pot purchases on arrival. Adult weevils (small grey-brown beetles) chew notches in leaf edges from May–August — cosmetic damage, but a sign of larvae below.

5. 5

   Bury or split rising crowns every 3 years

   Heuchera's unique problem. As old roots die and new roots form above them, the crown gradually rises out of the soil — sometimes 5–10 cm above ground level by year 3. Two fixes. (1) Bury the rising crown: scrape soil away, position the crown lower, refill with fresh soil and a leaf-mould mulch. (2) Split and replant: lift the whole plant, divide with a sharp knife into 2–4 sections (each with leaves and roots), replant each at proper depth.

6. 6

   Cut flower stems off (or leave for wildlife)

   Heuchera flowers in early summer (May–July) — small bell-shaped flowers on wiry 60 cm stems. For foliage focus: cut flower stems off as they emerge — energy goes to leaf production. For wildlife: let flowers bloom — small bees and hoverflies visit them. For seed-saving: leave a few stems to set seed for self-sown volunteers (though hybrids don't come true from seed).

7. 7

   Don't cut foliage back in autumn

   Heuchera is evergreen — keep foliage on through winter. In late winter (February), tidy by removing any dead or damaged leaves with secateurs; the plant resumes growth in March. Don't hard-prune — heucheras don't regrow well from a complete cut-back. Mulch annually with leaf-mould around (not on) the crown each autumn.

8. 8

   Use modern hybrids — but accept some shorter lifespan

   The huge range of modern foliage colours comes from 21st-century breeding (Terra Nova nurseries especially). Many modern hybrids are stunning but slightly less robust than older cultivars — they may live 4–6 years vs 10+ for traditional varieties. Palace Purple (1980s introduction) remains one of the longest-lived; bright modern oranges and limes may need replacing more often. Plan for replacement as part of the gamble for spectacular colour.

Vine weevil can damage roots especially in pots; generally pest-free in the ground.