With their low mounds of gracefully arching foliage in a rainbow of hues, coral bells (Heuchera) are stars of the shade garden. But these charmers look even better when paired with complementary companion plants. The right combinations enhance coral bells’ assets and create more interest in your garden from spring through fall
In this article, we’ll suggest 15 companion plants that pair beautifully with coral bells. You’ll find perennials, shrubs vines, and grasses perfect for woodland settings mixed borders, patio containers, and more.
Why Grow Coral Bells?
First a quick look at what makes coral bells special
- Easy care, low maintenance perennials
- Bright evergreen leaves often with silver marbling or ruffling
- New cultivars in purple, red, rose, green, and bronze
- Tall wispy flower spikes in spring and summer
- Native to North American woodlands
Modern coral bell hybrids bloom longer with more heat tolerance and brighter leaf colors than traditional types. But all combine effortless care and strong performance in shady gardens and containers.
Coral bells thrive in rich, moist, well-drained soil and average watering. Part shade is ideal, especially afternoon shade in hot climates. Foliage colors are most vivid in part sun. Established plants have good drought tolerance once their root system develops.
Best Shade-Loving Companion Plants
With proper siting, coral bells will grow well for years with minimal care. Complement them with these easy-care shade companions:
Ferns
Delicate-looking ferns like Japanese painted fern (Athryium niponicum) share coral bells’ preference for rich, moist soil and part shade. Contrast their lacy fronds with coral bells’ rounded leaves. Try other ferns like autumn, cinnamon, lady, or ostrich fern.
Hostas
No shade garden is complete without hostas! Combine their wide, bold leaves with coral bells’ more delicate foliage. Blue and green hosta varieties make the best companions to show off coral bells’ colorful hues. Plant them in drifts among coral bell groupings.
Astilbes
Fluffy, feathery astilbe plumes provide beautiful vertical contrast to low coral bells in the shade garden. Look for dwarf astilbes under 2 feet tall for the best scale pairing. Red varieties like Astilbe Chinensis ‘Visions in Red’ add vivid color.
Hakonechloa Grass
For lightweight, graceful texture, add Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra). The slender blades of this shade-loving, non-invasive ornamental grass complement coral bells’ leaves. Gold or green Japanese forest grass varieties brighten up shady spots.
Sweet Woodruff
Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) grows 6-12 inches tall and spreads readily in moist, shaded soil. The white spring flowers and fragrant, whorled leaves work nicely as a living ground cover under coral bells. Sweet woodruff prefers consistently moist soil.
Lungworts
Add early season color with lungworts (Pulmonaria) and their blue, pink, or white spring blooms. After flowering, the silver-spotted leaves combine well with coral bells. Lungworts spread nicely to form a carpet in moist, shady soil.
Hellebores
Plant hellebores near coral bells to extend bloom season from late winter into spring. The nodding, rose-like flowers in shades of white, pink, plum, and green appear when little else is flowering in shade gardens. They appreciate the same growing conditions as coral bells.
Vines
Use fast-growing vines to quickly cover walls, fences, arbors or unsightly features while pairing well with coral bells. Try fragrant honeysuckle, ornamental clematis vines, or coral honeysuckle native to the Southeastern U.S.
Sun-Loving Companions
While they prefer shade, coral bells will grow in full sun with adequate moisture and rich soil. Some sun-loving companions include:
Lady’s Mantle
The scalloped, hairy leaves of lady’s mantle (Alchemilla mollis) hold sparkling dewdrops, providing a delicate contrast to coral bells. This tough perennial flowers in early summer and self-sows mildly. Shear off spent blooms to encourage new leaves.
Catmint
Catmint (Nepeta) offers spikes of powdery blue flowers loved by butterflies and bees. Its aromatic gray-green foliage complements brightly colored coral bells. Cut back catmint after first flowering to encourage a second bloom.
Yarrows
Flat clusters of tiny flowers on yarrows (Achillea) bloom all summer long in shades like apricot, red, pink, white and yellow. The fern-like, aromatic foliage combines nicely with coral bells. Yarrows are very drought tolerant once established.
Ornamental Grasses
Add light, airy texture and movement with grasses like fountain grass (Pennisetum), dwarf miscanthus, and Japanese blood grass. They provide see-through interest that shows off colorful coral bells foliage while swaying gracefully.
Hardy Geraniums
Hardy geraniums like Rozanne form low mounds smothered in blue flowers for months on end. Their lobed leaves contrast with coral bells’ rounded foliage. Try combining them with coral bells in containers.
Sedums
Succulent sedums thrive in full sun and hot, dry conditions. They’re perfect for pairing with coral bells in hellstrips, rock gardens, or as accent plants in containers. The fleshy leaves and nectar-rich flowers attract pollinators.
Bonus: Fall Color Companions
Some perennials and shrubs offer gorgeous autumn leaf color to match coral bells bred with bronzy-orange foliage:
Blueberry Shrubs
Blueberry bushes produce white spring blooms, sweet summer berries, and brilliant red or orange fall color to rival coral bells. Plant dwarf varieties like Top Hat or North Sky in garden beds or patio containers.
Sumac
The feathery leaves of shrubs like staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) turn vivid scarlet in autumn. Use it as a backdrop to show off coral bells’ foliage at their colorful fall peak.
Goldenrod
A native perennial, goldenrods (Solidago) bloom in sunny yellow plumes in late summer through fall. Their slender arching form contrasts nicely with coral bells’ bold leaves. Cut back spent blooms to encourage healthy growth.
With so many easy shade and sun options, you can find perfect plant partners for coral bells. Combining their colorful foliage with compatible companion plants results in stunning contrast and multi-season interest. Coral bells allow creativity in designing eye-catching garden vignettes or containers with both harmony and variety.
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Our companion plants for hostas grow under the similar low light and higher moisture conditions that hostas like. We all love hostas, but to make the shade garden really shine, add some other plants with different colors and leaves. The majority of our companion plants are grown in 65mm Elle Plugs and are only available in spring. If we run out, the beautiful perennials will be gone for the season. Don’t miss your chance to add them to your garden.
Heuchera and Heucherella are very popular perennials that come in a rainbow of colors. These bright colors offer some pop in the shade garden and contrast nicely with the foliage of hostas. Heuchera and Heucherella are perennial plants that look great in pots or at the front of the garden and are easy to care for.
Somehow I feel that Pulmonaria are still an under appreciated perennial. They offer bright colored flowers in shades of pink, blue and purple in early spring. Once the flowers are gone, the garden will be filled with new green leaves with silver spots for the rest of the season. As with Hosta, Pulmonaria adds color to the garden all year, but deer and rabbits don’t touch it like they do Hosta.
Brunnera are very popular and for good reasons. Most Brunnera on the market offer green foliage with a silver overlay that offers season long color. You will love the baby blue, forget-me-not like flowers in spring. Brunnera are easy to grow and the deer dont touch them.
If you don’t grow Tiarella yet, you should start right away. They are one of my favorite perennials for the garden border. They can be grown anywhere that dappled to full shade can be provided and compliment the hostas beautifully. With their shade tolerance, attractive leaves and flowering prowess, Tiarella belong in every shade garden.
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PETITTI Coral Bells | Grow Heuchera for Shade Gardens, Pleasing Foliage & Hummingbirds
FAQ
Should coral bells be cut back in the fall?
Can coral bells take full shade?
Will coral bells spread?
Are coral bells high maintenance?
Can a Coral Bell be paired with a hosta?
Shorter varieties can be paired within the same garden bed amongst your hostas. The other important factor to keep in mind is color. As with coral bells, these companion plants come in various shades including mixed leaf colors. For a striking effect, you should pair contrasting coral bells and hostas in the same garden bed.
What are good companion plants for coral bells?
There are fifteen (15) good companion plants for coral bells in this list ranging from daisies to hostas, to irises. Explained below are some reasons why planting other complimenting plants near them is good for their health and development. Heuchera is a genus of flowering plants in the Saxifragaceae family.
How do I choose a Coral Bell plant?
Coral bells prefer partial shade to full sun and well-draining soil, so choosing companion plants with similar needs will help ensure their success. Additionally, consider the height and growth habit of each plant to create a visually pleasing composition.
Do coral bells grow well in a garden?
It’s important to avoid planting coral bells at a close distance so that both plants can benefit. As long as the soil stays moist and these clustering plants have enough room to grow, they are straightforward in nature. Another upside to this plant is that it attracts butterflies and other insects, adding life to any garden space.
What color flowers go with coral bells?
These spring- and summer-blooming flowers are often in shades of pink, red, purple, or white, which coordinate nicely with the brilliant foliage of coral bells. Astilbes can live in full or partial sun, but they pair best with coral bells in partial sun or shade. Match the showy foliage of coral bells with the equally striking foliage of caladium.
Can coral bells grow in the same garden bed as Heuchera?
Any plant variety that requires sandy or relatively dry soil will struggle to thrive in the same garden bed as Heuchera. This is also true of plants that prefer very deep shade. Though coral bells partner up nicely with larger shrubs like hydrangeas and lilacs, be careful not to grow them too close together.