Plant Guide

Other Names:  Coralbells, Alumroot

Description:

Beautiful foliage progressing from peach and red to plum-purple in the cooler weather add interest and texture to borders, beds, containers and woodland gardens; small, creamy white flowers appear in early summer; drought tolerant once established

Ornamental Features

Peach Flambe Coral Bells features dainty spikes of creamy white bell-shaped flowers rising above the foliage from late spring to early summer. Its attractive crinkled lobed leaves emerge scarlet in spring, turning peach in color with curious crimson undersides and tinges of scarlet. As an added bonus, the foliage turns a gorgeous plum purple in the fall.

Landscape Attributes

Peach Flambe Coral Bells is a dense herbaceous evergreen perennial with tall flower stalks held atop a low mound of foliage. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It is a good choice for attracting hummingbirds to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Peach Flambe Coral Bells is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Peach Flambe Coral Bells will grow to be about 8 inches tall at maturity extending to 16 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 16 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 14 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an evegreen perennial, this plant will typically keep its form and foliage year-round.

This plant performs well in both full sun and full shade. However, you may want to keep it away from hot, dry locations that receive direct afternoon sun or which get reflected sunlight, such as against the south side of a white wall. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider covering it with a thick layer of mulch in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Peach Flambe Coral Bells is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers and foliage against which the larger thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.