Heuchera Dressed Up® 'Evening Gown' Coral Bells

Mississippi State University Ornamental Trial Top Performer 2021

A member of the Proven Winners® Dressed Up® Series, Heuchera 'Evening Gown' is an evergreen (in warm climates) perennial offering 3 seasons to year-round interest, blooming midsummer. Grown mainly for its stunning, intensely colored foliage, the plant offers beautiful texture and fantastic color. The huge 6-inch leaves are dense and shiny purplish black with incredibly ruffled margins. Borne on long, thin stems, large showy sprays of pink buds and dainty white blossoms with a pink reverse appear to float above the foliage. The flowers attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds and last a long time in floral arrangements.

A Heuchera x hybrida variety, commonly called heuchera, coral bells, or alumroot, 'Evening Gown' is a large clumping-forming herbaceous plant with excellent vigor and a low, mounding habit, forming a large basal rosette of leaves. Heuchera is a versatile plant for garden or container. Shown to best effect massed or grouped, it is an excellent mixed bed, border, or edging plant for paths or walkways. Ferns, bergenia, epimedium, hakonechloa, pulmonaria, and hosta are good companion plants for heuchera.

Cold hardy and easy to grow, heuchera is virtually carefree. It grows best in a sunny to shady location with average to fertile, medium moist, loose, well-draining soil, having a slightly alkaline pH. But it performs well in most soils and best color occurs in part shade. When planting, do not bury the crown of the plant. Although heuchera is somewhat drought tolerant once established, its foliage declines in overly dry soil. Consistent moisture is recommended for this shallow-rooted plant, especially if grown in full sun in hot climates, where afternoon shade may also be beneficial. The plant is low maintenance but mulching in late fall helps to moderate soil temperature and prevent heaving, and deadheading faded flowers promotes additional blooms. Remove dead leaves in spring. 'Evening Gown' is salt tolerant.

A native plant, heuchera is indigenous to North America. Native plants are not only beautiful but also environmentally friendly. Naturally adapted to the climate and soil conditions of the region, they thrive without fertilizers or extra watering, once established. They also act as natural pest controls, reducing the need for pesticides in the garden. Landscaping with native plants promotes biodiversity and provides shelter and quality food for wildlife and pollinators, bringing gardens to life.