Coral bells (Heuchera 'Purple Sails')
Heuchera 'Purple Sails' (Coral bells) provides dark purple, undulating foliage and airy greenish-white blooms in summer. Hardy Zones 4-9.
Scroll down to discover growing tips, care requirements, companion plants, and more
Complete Plant Information
Overview
Heuchera ‘Purple Sails’, commonly known as Coral bells, is highly valued by gardeners for its dramatic, dark-purple foliage that forms a dense, basal mound throughout the growing season. This cultivar offers striking color contrast against brighter green plantings. Its maple-like leaves are lobed, long-petioled, and often exhibit an undulating texture, providing year-round interest, especially in milder winter climates.
As a clump-forming herbaceous perennial, Heuchera ‘Purple Sails’ offers reliable structure and texture. While admired for its leaves, it also produces delicate, airy panicles of tiny, greenish-white, bell-shaped flowers in early summer atop slender stems reaching 15 to 24 inches high. Understanding the parentage of hybrids like Heuchera ‘Purple Sails’ dictates optimal cultural conditions regarding sun exposure.
Gardeners utilize this variety widely for its compact yet impactful presence. It thrives best in well-drained, humus-rich soil, bridging the gap between sun-loving borders and shadier woodland settings. Proper moisture management is crucial for Heuchera ‘Purple Sails’ to prevent leaf scorch, making it a popular choice for edging and mass plantings where its rich color can be effectively showcased.
Fast Facts
- Plant Family: Saxifragaceae
- Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
- Hardiness Zones: USDA Zones 4-9
- Size at Maturity:
- Height: 1-2 ft
- Spread: 1-1.5 ft
- Bloom Time: June to July
- Bloom Description: Greenish white
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Water Needs: Medium
- Maintenance Level: Medium
How to Grow
The best time to plant Heuchera ‘Purple Sails’ is typically in spring or fall, ensuring they establish roots before extreme summer heat or winter cold. These Coral bells demand organically rich, humusy soil that maintains medium moisture levels while ensuring excellent drainage. While some hybrids tolerate full sun, particularly in northern zones, Heuchera ‘Purple Sails’ generally appreciates afternoon shade in hotter climates to maintain foliage integrity.
Consistent moisture is vital if you choose a sunnier location; allowing the soil to dry out can lead to foliage scorch and decline. If planted in deep shade, ensure the location still offers bright, filtered light. Prune away the stems of faded flowers (deadheading) to encourage any repeat blooming, though the primary visual appeal remains the foliage.
For overwintering, apply a winter compost mulch after the ground freezes, which helps prevent the roots from heaving if freeze-thaw cycles are severe. In cold winter regions, the dark purple leaves may lose some color depending on temperature severity. Plan to divide mature clumps every three to four years during the spring to maintain vigor and prevent overcrowding.
Landscape Uses
Heuchera ‘Purple Sails’ excels when massed or planted in thoughtful groups to amplify its dramatic foliage color. This cultivar is highly effective when used as an edger, clearly defining the boundaries of paths, walkways, or the front perimeter of mixed perennial borders. It provides an essential, deep-toned backdrop that accentuates brighter flowers planted nearby.
Consider incorporating this dark Coral bells variety into rock gardens, where its mounding habit contrasts beautifully with sharp stone textures. It also performs well in open woodland settings, mimicking its native environment where it often grows under the dappled shade of trees. The intense purple color of Heuchera ‘Purple Sails’ ensures visibility even from a distance, making it an excellent structural element throughout the garden year-round in warmer zones.
Standout Features
Flower Qualities
- Showy
- Good Cut
Noteworthy Characteristics
Heuchera, commonly called coral bells or alumroot, is a genus consisting of about 55 species of evergreen to semi-evergreen herbaceous perennials which are all native to North America. ‘Purple Sails’ is a clump-forming perennial which features a basal mound (typically to 12” tall) of lobed, maple-like, long-petioled, undulating, dark-purple leaves (3-5” wide). Tiny, greenish-white, bell-shaped flowers in open, airy panicles are borne on slender, wiry stems extending well above the mound of leaves, typically to a height of 15-24” in late spring to early summer.
Tolerances
- Frost heaving of roots may occur when winter temperatures fluctuate widely.
Potential Problems
Frost heaving presents a risk in areas with fluctuating winter temperatures, causing roots to lift out of the soil. Mulching after the ground freezes helps mitigate this structural issue.
Disease issues commonly associated with Coral bells include powdery mildew, rust, and bacterial leaf spot. Ensuring good air circulation—by spacing plants correctly according to their spread—and avoiding overhead watering can greatly reduce fungal and bacterial outbreaks.
In terms of pests, watch out for weevils and foliar nematodes. Inspect incoming plants carefully, and maintain good garden hygiene to quickly address any signs of insect infestation to protect the valuable foliage of Heuchera ‘Purple Sails’.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hardiness zones is Coral bells suitable for?
Heuchera ‘Purple Sails’ is typically hardy and reliably grown in USDA Zones 4 through 9.
How large does Heuchera ‘Purple Sails’ grow?
This variety generally reaches a height between 1 and 2 feet, with a spread between 1 and 1.5 feet.
What sun exposure does Coral bells need?
Heuchera ‘Purple Sails’ thrives in locations ranging from full sun to part shade, though it requires consistent moisture if exposed to full sun.
When does Heuchera ‘Purple Sails’ bloom?
This Coral bells cultivar blooms primarily from June to July, producing small, greenish-white flowers.
Conclusion
The rich, dark foliage of Heuchera ‘Purple Sails’ offers indispensable texture and deep color that elevates perennial borders and woodland gardens alike. This versatile Coral bells variety provides reliable seasonal interest and structure, making it a bedrock plant for mixed containers or mass plantings. Verify your local hardiness zone and aim for rich, well-drained soil to ensure your Heuchera ‘Purple Sails’ thrives for years to come.
Companion Planting
When selecting companions for Heuchera ‘Purple Sails’, prioritize plants that appreciate similar partial shade and rich soil conditions. Hostas, especially those with chartreuse or variegated leaves, create stunning complementary contrasts against the dark purple foliage. Ferns also pair beautifully underneath specimen trees where the shade is deeper, offering an ethereal, texture-rich foundation planting alongside your Coral bells.
For brighter spring and early summer color, consider pairing Heuchera ‘Purple Sails’ with early-blooming plants like Daffodils (Narcissus) or low-growing woodland phlox. Once the spring bulbs fade, the reliable mounds of dark purple foliage will carry the visual interest through summer heat, providing a solid, low-maintenance anchor for subsequent seasonal displays.
Propagation Tips
The primary method for increasing the number of Heuchera ‘Purple Sails’ plants is through division. This should ideally be done in the spring every three to four years as the clump begins to lose vigor or become overcrowded. Gently lift the entire clump from the ground using a garden fork or spade, taking care not to damage the root system excessively.
Once lifted, gently tease the root ball apart into smaller sections, ensuring each division has a healthy set of roots and at least one new crown or growth point. Replant these divisions immediately at the same soil depth they were previously growing, watering thoroughly to help settle the soil around the new roots of your propagated Coral bells.
