Coral Bells do great in the shade!

With their colorful foliage, Coral Bells (Heucheras) , will make a statement in your garden, all season long. These perennials feature a wide array of foliage color, texture and shape.

Grown mainly for their colorful foliage, heucheras do bloom. Their  dainty bell-shaped, little flowers extend high above the foliage, nodding in the wind. The flowers are what gives this native plant its common name, Coral Bells.  You'll find Heuchera and Heucherella grouped together on the same display tables. That's because they are virtually the same plant in characteristics and behavior. Heucherella is a cross between Heuchera (Coral Bells) and Tiaella (Foam Flowers) and are commonly called Foamy Bells. Easy to grow, Heucheras and Heucherellas are one of the best ground cover plants for your shady perennial garden. Heucheras and Heucherellas are both rated hardy for Zones 4 through 9 (here on the plains, we are typically rated Zone 5). Coral Bells grow naturally in wooded areas, so you'll want to plant them in a spot where they are shaded from the sun.

They do best in well-amended soils, so plan to incorporate organic material into the planting site soil. 

Once the site is prepared, add some Root Stimulator, before planting. There are many hybrids and cultivars to choose from. Some examples of these are:

Heuchera 'Citronelle'

Heuchera 'Fire Alarm'

Heuchera 'Marvelous Marble'

Heuchera 'Rave On'

 

Heucherella 'Solar Eclipse'

Heucherella 'Sweet Tea'

Once established, Coral Bells and Foam Flowers require little maintenance and will brighten up the shady spots in your garden for many seasons to come.

Hardy Hibiscus

This is the time of the growing season that one of the most spectacular flowering shrubs begins to bloom. Hibiscus x moscheutos or hardy Hibiscus are tough, resilient garden shrubs that  can take our winters and come back strong. Sometimes called rose mallow, these hibiscus were developed  from native plants and are now hardy down to Zone 4. Hardy hibiscus are fairly easy to grow. They like their place in the sun, so select a site in the garden where they'll get as much sun as possible. They can be grown in partial shade, such as an East-facing location, but the flower production may not be as great.

Once established, hardy hibiscus can easy grow 6' high and 6' across so keep this in mind when you're choosing a planting spot. There are dwarf varieties of hardy hibiscus that only get about 3' tall and 3' wide, if you don't have room for a full size shrub.

Hardy hibiscus like well drained soils, so prepare the planting site by adding compost or peat moss to your existing soil at the rate of about 50:50.

Add some Root Stimulator to the planting hole to ensure good root production. Planted now, you should get flowers yet this season Hardy hibiscus flowers only last a day, but the flower production will go on all season, right up to first frost. In our area, the canes will die back after the first hard frost. When they do die back, cut the canes to the ground. Water the root ball occasionally during the winter. Hardy hibiscus are among the last plants to emerge in the spring, so give them plenty of time. To often, people think the shrub died over the winter when in fact it's still alive, just dormant and slow to emerge. Some of the spectacular color choices in hardy hibiscus shrubs include:

'Copper Queen', 

'Fireball',

'Mocha Moon',

'Pink Clouds'. Planting hardy hibiscus will add unique color to your garden landscape for many seasons to come.