Dolce® Wildberry Coral Bells

Large, scalloped, very glossy leaves in bold purple with charcoal veins form a full mound on this coral bells and hold their purple for much of the season. Heuchera Dolce® 'Wildberry' grows 10 to 14 inches tall and 16 to 20 inches wide in part shade, hardy from Zone 4 through Zone 9. White flowers with rosy pink calyxes rise on dark stems in midsummer. It was named 2023 Perennial of the Year, and deer tend to leave it alone. Coral bells, Heuchera, are grown mainly for their leaves. The genus is native to North America, and most garden coral bells are hybrids of several of its species, which is why leaf color, size and ruffling vary so widely. The leaves are evergreen to semi-evergreen, so the mound keeps color through much of the winter, and small bell-shaped flowers rise above it on wiry stems in late spring or summer, where hummingbirds and bees visit them. Most coral bells color best in part shade, with morning sun and shelter from hot afternoon sun, though dark-leaved types and those bred from Heuchera villosa take more sun and summer heat than light-leaved ones. They need soil that drains well, especially through winter, and struggle in heavy ground that stays wet. The heights given are for the leaf mound; flower stems stand taller. The saturated purple works as a dark accent in a container or shaded border.