Plant Database
perennial

Southern Comfort Coral Bells

Heuchera 'Southern Comfort'

 

 
Southern Comfort Coral Bells (Heuchera 'Southern Comfort') at GardenWorks

Southern Comfort Coral Bells foliage

Southern Comfort Coral Bells foliage

(Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder)

Plant Height:  12 inches

Flower Height:  18 inches

Spacing:  15 inches

Sunlight:  full sun  partial shade  full shade 

Hardiness Zone:  4a

Other Names:  Coralbells, Alumroot

Description:

Creamy bells rise from compact mounds of enormous peach colored foliage blushed with rose with hot-pink undersides; amazing contrast to other plants;great versatility; keep soil moist in heat of summer

Ornamental Features

Southern Comfort Coral Bells is primarily valued in the garden for its distinctive form, with the flower stalks towering over the foliage. It features tiny spikes of creamy white bell-shaped flowers rising above the foliage from mid to late summer. Its attractive enormous crinkled lobed leaves remain peach in colour with curious hot pink undersides and tinges of rose throughout the year.

Landscape Attributes

Southern Comfort Coral Bells is a dense herbaceous evergreen perennial with tall flower stalks held atop a low mound of foliage. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It is a good choice for attracting hummingbirds to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Southern Comfort Coral Bells is recommended for the following landscape applications;

  • Mass Planting
  • Rock/Alpine Gardens
  • Border Edging
  • General Garden Use
  • Groundcover
  • Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Southern Comfort Coral Bells will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity extending to 18 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 18 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 15 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an evegreen perennial, this plant will typically keep its form and foliage year-round.

This plant performs well in both full sun and full shade. However, you may want to keep it away from hot, dry locations that receive direct afternoon sun or which get reflected sunlight, such as against the south side of a white wall. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Southern Comfort Coral Bells is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers and foliage against which the larger thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.

 
 
Hardiness Zone Plant Height Minimum Sunlight
Characteristics
Massing  Rock  Edging  Garden  Groundcover  Container 
Applications
Flowers  Foliage Color  Texture  Plant Form  Attracts Wildlife 
Ornamental Features


Disclaimer - This resource is provided for informational purposes only and does NOT reflect current availability. Inventory varies seasonally, so we cannot guarantee that every plant will be in stock at all times - please contact your favourite GardenWorks location directly for current availability. It does not include our entire inventory of plants, so be sure to visit GardenWorks to see varieties that may not be represented on this list.