Coral Bells For Your Consideration

The mild weather continues with another overcast day with temperatures in the mid 40 degrees F. The sun did peak out briefly on occasion too though! We had some action out in the gardens with Larry H. continuing to fix some of our lights strands that are having issues. This fine tuning is just in time for the start of the Holiday Light Show (HLS) this Friday, December 11th. The weather looks pretty good for the weekend although some light rain might make an appearance. Regardless, we expect a strong turnout. See www.rotarybotanicalgardens.org for more information on this awesome event.

Dick P. and Dick H. finished repairing one of our pick-up trucks this morning. Bill O. brought in parts to start repairs on our utility vehicles which need this annual "check up"! Alan M. was out in the gardens continuing to collect leaves. It's rare to be able to continue tidying the garden in December! Urban came in for more pruning and we saw some others today as well.

Coral bells (Heuchera) continue to be a hot seller across the country for their excellent foliage and frequently, very nice blooms. With so many new varieties being introduced each year, it is literally impossible to keep up with these selections. There is also danger in assuming that they are all "created equal" as many are promoted in advance of proper trialing. The appearance of coral bells varies so drastically by region of the country in which they are grown, available sunlight, available water and the season of the year. We continue to try many varieties and then rely on the toughest that have proven hardiness, solid perennial status and of course, a great look. We have found that rich, moist soils in part sun to full sun are ideal for most of our selections. Not all of these featured in this blog are new (like 'Red Lightning' above) but all were photographed in mid-summer and looked great (in the Midwest).