The Coral Bells are perennial plants. The other common names by which they are known are Alum Root and Rock Geranium. The scientific name of the Coral bell flower is Heuchera micrantha which means the “Purple Palace” The blooming season of the Coral bell flowers is from the beginning of June and they produce flowers till the end of August. The coral Bell plants are very proud of their sprightly small flowers which are shaped like bells and come in colors like pink, red, white or coral. The flowers sprout out from stems that are wiry and low lying. Some of the different types of the Coral bell plants are Heuchera ‘Amber Waves’ Heuchera ‘Amethyst Myst’, Heuchera ‘Black Beauty’, Heuchera ‘Black Currant’, Heuchera ‘Blackout’, Heuchera ‘Bressingham Mix and the Alum Root Coral Bells.

The Coral Bell plant does not require much maintenance and is easy to care for. They are tolerant to drought and grow well in soil that is moist. Apart from being moist the soil needs to be well drained and either loamy or sandy and the pH level also is required to be neutral. The Coral Bell requires full sun to light shade in order to grow well and the areas where the summers are very hot it prefers light shade.

The best season to grow the Coral bell is during spring or winters. The plants need to be spaced at a distance of about 1 to 2 feet apart depending on what sort of variety it is. In order to grow the Coral bell plant the garden bed needs to be prepared with the help of a tiller or the garden fork which helps to make the soil loose and it make holes in the soil which is about 12-15 inches deep. The hole that is dug should be about two times the size of the diameter of the container which would hold the plant. In the hole, mixture of compost layer that is 2 to 4 inch should be added after which the coral bell plant should be removed carefully from its pot and placed in the hole. The area around the root ball should be filled carefully thus making the soil firm gently after which the plant should be watered thoroughly.

In order to look after the Coral bell plant the dead foliage should be removed during the early summers then a thin layer of compost should be applied along with mulch of about 2-inches.The mulch is applied to control the growth of weeds and for retention of moisture. If the rainfall is less than about an inch per week then the plant needs to be watered. The Coral bells flowers are usually attacked by pests like Vine Weevils and Roots as well as the Japanese Beetles and diseases like the Bacterial Leaf Spot and Gray spot attack the plant.

The Coral bell plants are best used as cut flowers or as a border plant. They are also ideal to be used as ground cover. The other flowers with which the Coral bells flowers can be grown are Astible Barrenwort, Carex, Foamflower, Corydalis, Hardy geranium, Hosta, Autumn Fern, Foamy Bells, Hakonechloa and Lady’s Mantle. When mixed and matched with these flowers and grown it adds more beauty to the garden.