6 Charming Coral Bells Varieties That Will Brighten Up Even the Shadiest Garden

Something about coral bells (Heuchera spp.) makes you think of fairies and magic. Plant a few different coral bell varieties and enjoy the enchanting world they create in your garden.The tiny bell-shaped flowers stand on tall, slender stalks from late spring through early summer.

Their flowers are often the color of cotton candy, but the main and most delectable dish is their vibrant foliage. From royal purple to chartreuse green to dusky red, fiery orange, and burgundy, the leaves are amazing and light up any shade garden.

Growing coral bells is easy. Picking just a few cultivars from the hundreds of existing heuchera varieties is the hard part because each one is more appealing than the last. That’s why I’m here to help you pick the prettiest ones. Here are six delightful types of coral bells that will win your heart.

Beautiful Coral Bells Varieties

There are so many gorgeous cultivars of coral bells to choose from and truly you can’t go wrong with any of them! But some stand out more than the others whether for their beautiful foliage or delicate blooms or ease of care. Here are the top heuchera varieties I recommend to every gardener.

1. Caramel

This compact shade-loving perennial is a dense mix of golden leaves, some apricot, some orange, some amber, some yellow. The softly glowing coral bell cultivar called ‘Caramel’ brings a ray of sunshine into your shady corner, the foliage hues shift as summer deepens. The undersides of the leaves are purple-red. Flowers appear in midsummer in a creamy white color.

Some liken Caramel to a “warm hug” for your garden. Its low, mounding habit does add comfort and charm to the landscape. Butterflies and hummingbirds love this plant, too. Caramel coral bells grow best in partial to full shade.

You can get gorgeous Caramel coral bells from Nature Hills Nursery online.

2. Midnight Rose

This one’s a dazzling beauty. ‘Midnight Rose' coral bells is one of my personal favorites because it offers contrast, color, and dramatic flair. This coral bell variety boasts rich, plum-colored almost black foliage mottled with vivid pink tones. The pinks fade to ivory as the year progresses.

This show-stopping foliage is topped with small, salmon-colored flowers in late spring. All in all, Midnight Rose makes a splash in your garden and it even thrives in sunny locations.

Midnight Rose coral bells are also available online from Nature Hills Nursery.

3. Snow Angel

Many types of coral bells offer lavish foliage with modest flowers. ‘Snow Angel’ is different. Its abundant lipstick-red flowers compete for attention in the summer with the huge, scalloped leaves that are emerald green and heavily speckled with white.

Vigorous and mounded, Snow Angel works brilliantly in if you're looking to grow containers in the shade or need a beautiful garden edging. The flowers last for a full four weeks to the delight of hummingbirds and gardeners alike. And don’t forget – the leaves are evergreen!

This variety of heuchera is highly appreciated for its unusual foliage and the striking contrast between the leaf color and blossoms.

This coral bell is a rarer find, but you can get Snow Angel from Rare Roots online. You can also try a similar cultivar like 'Firefly' from Wayside Gardens that has variegated foliage and striking hot pink flowers.

4. Black Pearl

A heuchera with shiny, scalloped jet-black leaves? Yep, that’s drama for you. Meet ‘Black Pearl’, a superstar in the shade garden with its glossy, ruffled black-as-night foliage. When the ruffles twist, they show off their rosy-purple undersides. And the flowers? They come in elegant white sprays held up on dark stems.

This clump-forming perennial looks fabulous paired with almost every other color of coral bells. The gorgeous, glossy leaves can form a large basal mound up to 10 inches (25 cm) tall and 20 inches (50 cm) wide. This variety fills in shady perennial gardens fast.

Get an absolutely stunning Black Pearl coral bell plant from Wayside Gardens.

5. Lime Marmalade

Close your eyes and imagine a tall glass of fresh limeade, cool and lively and refreshing. ‘Lime Marmalade’ heuchera adds that flavor to your shade garden. Its perky citrus green foliage offers a striking contrast with darker plants.

This coral bells species has ruffled and frilled lime green foliage. The leaves hold their color throughout the growing season, remaining bright and happy throughout the summer and into fall.

Creamy white bell-shaped flowers appear on long stalks in late spring, rising well about the mounded foliage. Plant indigo blue blossoms nearby for the best effect.

Buy a pair of zesty Lime Marmalade coral bell plants from Etsy.

6. Spellbound

Is ‘Spellbound’ the most emblematic of the magical coral bell clan? It’s an enchanting plant that forms a dense mound of alluring silvery foliage marked with rose-purple veins. This variety looks like it comes straight from the garden of a sorceress or witch, and adds a mystical touch to shaded gardens.

The foliage seems to shimmer, especially when paired with dark-leafed coral bells like Black Pearl. With Spellbound, you’ll fall crazy in love with heucheras all over again.

Buy a Spellbound heuchera from Planting Partners Nursery on Etsy.

Caring for Your Coral Bells

While different species of coral bells have slightly different needs, most prefer a partial shade location. But those more excited about the flowers than the foliage should plant coral bells where they will get at least four hours of sun each day.

All coral bell plants thrive in well-drained soil, but some do just fine in rocky areas and can even adapt to clay soil. Irrigation is important when planting heucheras, but they become drought-tolerant as they establish and mature.