Coral bells (Heuchera 'Lime Rickey')
Heuchera 'Lime Rickey' coral bells offer vibrant, ruffled lime green foliage and small white blooms. Ideal for part shade.
Scroll down to discover growing tips, care requirements, companion plants, and more
Complete Plant Information
Overview
Heuchera ‘Lime Rickey’, a vigorous cultivar of coral bells, is prized by gardeners for its brilliantly colored, ruffled foliage that provides year-round interest. This plant forms a dense basal mound, making Heuchera ‘Lime Rickey’ an excellent choice for adding bright color contrast against darker greenery. While it produces tiny white flowers in early summer, the primary attraction remains its robust, lime-green leaves.
This herbaceous perennial thrives best when given rich, humusy, well-drained soil, often adapting its sun tolerance based on location. While some hybrids tolerate full sun, especially in cooler northern gardens, Heuchera ‘Lime Rickey’ generally appreciates afternoon shade to maintain peak foliage color and prevent scorching, particularly where summers are hot. It remains an essential low-maintenance component for adding texture and light to shady garden spaces.
The foliage of this particular coral bells cultivar matures to a striking lime green, contrasting nicely with the wispy spires of white flowers that emerge above the mound. Growing Heuchera ‘Lime Rickey’ successfully ensures you have excellent ground cover that offers consistent performance across USDA Zones 4 through 8.
Fast Facts
- Plant Family: Saxifragaceae
- Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
- Hardiness Zones: USDA Zones 4-8
- Size at Maturity:
- Height: 0.75-1.5 ft
- Spread: 1-1.5 ft
- Bloom Time: June to July
- Bloom Description: White
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Water Needs: Medium
- Maintenance Level: Medium
How to Grow
Planting Heuchera ‘Lime Rickey’ should ideally occur in spring or fall when temperatures are moderate, ensuring the best establishment period. Locate your coral bells where the soil is organically rich, consistently moist (but never soggy), and exhibits excellent drainage. While many heucheras prefer part shade, if planting in full sun—common in northern regions—consistent moisture management becomes absolutely critical to prevent leaf scorch and decline.
Routine care involves regular watering, especially during dry spells outside its native medium moisture preference. Fertilization is rarely necessary if the soil is rich; however, a light application of compost in the spring can benefit growth. Deadheading the faded white flower stems encourages the plant to put energy back into foliage production, although this is not strictly necessary for plant health.
In colder winter climates (like Zone 5 or lower), apply a winter compost mulch only after the ground has frozen solid to mitigate root heaving caused by temperature fluctuations. Foliage often remains semi-evergreen or evergreen in warmer zones. To maintain vigor and prevent overcrowding, plan to divide clumps of Heuchera ‘Lime Rickey’ every three to four years during the spring season.
Landscape Uses
Heuchera ‘Lime Rickey’ excels as a versatile accent plant that brings year-round color to structured garden designs. Its compact, mounding habit makes it particularly effective when planted in groups or massed together to create rivers of lime green across the landscape. Use these coral bells effectively as edgers along winding stone paths or walkways where their bright color can contrast with the hardscape materials.
These plants transition beautifully between formal border specifications and naturalistic settings. They are a perfect addition to rock gardens, where their ruffled texture stands out against coarse stone, or integrated into open woodland gardens mimicking their native habitat. Their ability to thrive in part shade makes them excellent companions for hostas, ferns, and bleeding hearts, which share similar moisture and light requirements.
Standout Features
Flower Qualities
- Showy
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. ‘Lime Rickey’ is a vigorous, clump-forming coral bells cultivar that is most noted for its ruffled lime green foliage and white flowers, resulting from a cross involving parents like Heuchera ‘Amber Waves’. Lobed, rounded leaves with ruffled edges form a basal mound (to 8” tall) which may spread to 18” wide, emerging chartreuse and maturing to lime green in summer.
Tolerances
- Root heaving due to severe winter temperature swings
Potential Problems
Frost heaving can occur when winter temperatures fluctuate significantly, potentially pushing the roots out of the soil. Monitor your Heuchera ‘Lime Rickey’ in early spring after a mild winter followed by a hard freeze. Disease risks include powdery mildew, rust, and bacterial leaf spot, although this specific cultivar reportedly has good resistance to powdery mildew. Insect pests like weevils and foliar nematodes can occasionally cause damage, but generally, this perennial is robust. Maintaining good air circulation and avoiding overhead watering helps minimize fungal issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hardiness zones is Coral bells suitable for?
Heuchera ‘Lime Rickey’ is generally suitable for USDA Zones 4-8.
How large does Coral bells grow?
This coral bells cultivar typically reaches a height between 0.75 and 1.5 feet and spreads between 1 and 1.5 feet wide.
What sun exposure does Heuchera ‘Lime Rickey’ need?
Heuchera ‘Lime Rickey’ performs best in full sun to part shade conditions, preferring some afternoon shade in hotter climates.
When does Heuchera ‘Lime Rickey’ bloom?
This plant shows its tiny white flowers from June through July.
Conclusion
Heuchera ‘Lime Rickey’ unquestionably earns its place in mixed borders and shaded areas, offering irreplaceable textural contrast with its vivid lime green foliage. As a reliable herbaceous perennial, this coral bells cultivar provides consistent visual interest across three seasons. Before planting, confirm your site conditions align with its medium water needs and hardiness zone compatibility for the best results.
Companion Planting
Selecting appropriate companions is key to maximizing the aesthetic appeal of Heuchera ‘Lime Rickey’. Plants that enjoy similar light levels—full sun to part shade filtered by deciduous trees—and humus-rich soil work best. Consider pairing the bright lime green foliage with deep purple or dark green accents to enhance the vibrancy.
Excellent choices include Hosta varieties with blue or dark green leaves, which offer complementary broad texture, or woodland friends like Astilbe, which share similar moisture requirements. For borders, low-growing silvery Sedums or fine-textured ornamental grasses can create beautiful textural interplay against the ruffled mound of your coral bells.
Propagation Tips
The most practical and recommended method for increasing your supply of Heuchera ‘Lime Rickey’ is by division, especially since the parentage of many hybrids is unknown, making seed propagation unpredictable. Division should be performed in the spring every three to four years to maintain vigor and rejuvenate the clump.
Gently lift the entire mound and carefully separate the rooted sections, ensuring each division has a sufficient crown and healthy root mass. Replant these divisions immediately into prepared, well-drained soil at the same depth they were previously growing. This method ensures you maintain the specific lime green foliage characteristics unique to the Heuchera ‘Lime Rickey’ cultivar.
