coral bells ‘Autumn Bride’

Heuchera villosa ‘Autumn Bride’ (coral bells ‘Autumn Bride’) is a member of the Saxifragaceae, with the species form native to the Eastern United States, H. villosa is most often found in the wild growing in depressions in rocky outcrops where organic-rich soil collects.

In Lurie Garden, the selection H. ‘Autumn Bride’ can reach up to 1 m (3 ft.) tall with a 0.5 m (2 ft.) spread. H. ‘Autumn Bride’ grows best in rich, humusy soil with medium moisture retention characteristics. Plants will grow in shade or full-sun; however, the best leaf color is developed when grown in a location with afternoon shade. Heuchera villosa is drought tolerant and disease resistant, with only crown rot being of serious concern when plants are grown in wet soils and deep shade locations.

Heuchera villosa ‘Autumn Bride’ packs a great one-two punch for the garden with terrific displays from leaves and flowers. The deep to bright green leaves of H. ‘Autumn Bride’ are large, hairy, and sharply toothed with a velvety texture. Depending on planting location and local environment, leaves can be evergreen or, as at Lurie Garden, semi-evergreen during winter months. While the flowers of H. ‘Autumn Bride’ do not offer year-round interest, during their August-September/October bloom period the small whitish to cream flowers make for an impressive display nonetheless. Borne on wiry upright stems, the airy panicles of flowers make for an interesting cloud-like display. Spent flowering stems can be cut to promote additional flower stem production. At Lurie Garden, flower stems are not cut as the remnant flowers offer a unique abstract shape in the fall and winter garden.

H. ‘Autumn Bride’ offers considerable utility in the garden, working equally well as a single-species mass planting or within an interplanted matrix. If interplanting, considering adding Polemonium reptans (Jacob’s ladder) or Sesleria autumnalis (moor grass) to a foundation of H. ‘Autumn Bride’. The selection works well as a mass planting at the foot of larger garden plants such as Aruncus ‘Horatio.’