Perennial gardening in the heat of summer is a breeze for the brightest of prairie gardens and the driest of rock gardens, the hot summer sun providing an ideal environment for some of the best and brightest perennial flowers nature has to offer.

As many woodsy Minnesota gardeners know all too well, it can be a challenge to keep shadier gardens looking bright and colorful throughout the year - but it's possible! One of our favorite plants to brighten up even the darkest of shade gardens with its soft, prismatic foliage throughout the season is Heuchera (hue-kerr-ah), also known as coral bells.

Native to North America, Heuchera are available in hundreds of varieties. These beauties range in color from dark hues of purple and pink, deep reds, to bright oranges, dark purples, caramels, to bright yellows and greens to even bright white variegation. Not only can Heuchera provide excellent pops of color to shadier locations, but they can also help play up colors of more subtle nearby shade bloomers as well. Many can even help accent part-sun or even full-sun gardens, depending on the variety.

Coral bells mature to a versatile mound of around one to two feet tall and wide, and also provide delicate blooms of interest to humans and pollinators alike. Heuchera generally flower most abundantly in late Spring or early Summer, blooming intermittently throughout the season into late Summer or early Fall. As their name suggests, Coral Bells have panicles of small, bell-shaped, pink flowers atop wiry stems that make for great, long-lasting cut flowers. If you are looking for even larger blooms, Tiarella (foamflower), also in the Saxifragaceae family, have been hybridized with Heuchera to create Heucherella (hue-kerr-ell-ah), or foamy bells, a hybrid that provides the bright foliage interest of Heuchera with the wonderful large bottlebrush blooms of Tiarella.

Classic Heuchera in 'Forever Red'

Heuchera are exceptionally easy to care for, generally preferring well-draining, evenly moist soil in part-shade locations. Some varieties prefer full shade, while others can tolerate up to full sun if kept evenly moist.

Coral bells are light feeders, requiring little additional nutrition, however it is best to apply a layer of rich compost around your plants each Spring to keep them looking their best. Heuchera are also juglone (black walnut) tolerant, and boast great salt tolerance for the Winter months.

Be sure that plants are properly planted and mulched-in for the Winter. Check on exposed plants throughout the cold season as their shallow, fibrous root system can sometimes be dug up by frost heaving that occurs during repeated freeze-thaw cycles.

The new Fyre Wing Heuchera family from TerraNova, grown by Monrovia has landed in the greenhouse! As if they were hatched straight from a dragon's egg in an enchanted forest, the Fyre Wing Heucheras have a fuzzy, lacy leaf structure that resembles a dragon's wing in stunning, gem-like colorways.

Available now in limited quanitites in shades: 'Rhodonite', 'Jadeite', and 'Heliodor' - these will fly out of the greenhouse fast!

Fyre Wing Heuchera in 'Heliodor'

If you would like assistance shopping or caring for heuchera, feel free to stop in and ask! Otherwise, email us at hello@tonkadale.com - we're here to help!