Obsidian Coral Bells (Heuchera 'Obsidian')
HEW-ker-ah 'Obsidian'

Deciduous Perennial Mounded in the Saxifragaceae Family
 
 
Available May 9
Size Notes Price Availability
#1 gallon FIELD $17.47
 
Unveil the Obsidian Coral Bells, featuring stunningly black, shiny rounded leaves that hold their color beautifully. This striking plant provides a dramatic contrast in any garden, elevating your landscape with its unique allure.

About Coral Bells

If there was a contest for the most versatile plant out there, Heuchera just might win. This plant can tolerate full shade to full sun, although it does best with at least four hours of sun daily, and can grow in almost any soil and moisture conditions (within reason - don’t plant the poor guy in a pond!). Heuchera’s foliage can range from an almost-lemon-yellow to an almost-black-purple, and its dainty bell-shaped flowers dance in the breeze over its dense and mounded crown. Heuchera makes a striking “middle row” plant in the garden but can also be found in a pot. 

Heuchera overwinters beautifully in the ground (it could be classified as *almost* evergreen) and only needs a light trim-back in the spring to remove winter-damaged foliage. Its flowers will dry on their stalks in late summer and actually look quite pretty, in a steampunk kind of way, but you can snip the stalks and enjoy a freshened-up, foliage-only plant for the rest of the season. 

A few favorites include ‘Caramel’ (light green to - you guessed it - caramel foliage), ‘Dolce Cherry Truffles’ (cherry red to deep red ruffled foliage), ‘Lime Marmalade’ (yellow-green ruffled foliage), ‘Frosted Violet’ (prominent veins, violet purple foliage with a silver overcast), ‘Green Spice’ (purple veins, bright green foliage with a silver overcast), ‘Obsidian’ (very dark purple foliage), and ‘Palace Purple’ (dark green to purple to burgundy foliage). Heuchera makes a stunning mass planting or you can mix-and-match to achieve bright splashes of contrast throughout the garden.

Pros

  • Extremely low maintenance
  • Can grow in most soil and moisture conditions
  • Foliage overwinters
  • Only needs a quick cut-back to look its best come spring
  • No pruning needed (but can prune old flower stalks)

Cons

  • Needs extra water in extremely hot weather
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 8 - 12 inches tall. 12 - 18 inches wide.
Growth Rate Moderate
Sun Exposure Full Shade - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance Medium
Zones 4a - 9b (Usually hardy to -30° F)
Tags Attracts Bees, Attracts Beneficial Insects, Attracts Butterflies, Attracts Hummingbirds, Attracts Pollinators, Attracts Wildlife, Colorful Foliage, Container, Deciduous, Deer Resistant, Drought Tolerant, Edging, Fall Color, Fast Growth Rate, Filler, For a Shady Spot, Formal Garden, Full Shade, Full Sun, Good for Accents, Good for Beginners, Good for Borders, Good for Butterfly Garden, Good for Cut Flowers, Good for Mass Planting, Good for Rock Garden, Grown For Attractive Foliage, Low Maintenance, Medium, Most Popular, Mounded, Nativar, Non-Allergenic, Normal Soil, Partial Shade, Partial Sun, Perennial, Rabbit Resistant, Shade Tolerant, Tolerant of Moist Soil, Tolerant of Salt, Well-Drained Soil, Woodland Garden
Bloom Period June to July
Flower Color Creamy White
Foliage Color Almost Black
 

Most Popular Plants
 

More Info from Experts

Commonly Planted with...

Hostas, ferns, astilbes, heucheras, and other shade-tolerant perennials.

Photos of This with...

Coronation Gold Yarrow, Gay Butterflies Butterfly Weed, Red Sentinel Astilbe, Glow Hybrid Astilbe, White Gloria Hybrid Astilbe, Tiny Gold Barberry, Siberian Bugloss, Looking Glass Siberian Bugloss, White Cloud Lesser Calamint, Goldband Japanese Grass Sedge, Big Bang Tickseed, Bleeding Heart, Aureola Japanese Forest Grass, Blackout Coral Bells, Coral Bells 'Caramel', Citronelle Coral Bells, Cultus Bay Beauty Coral Bells, Dolce Cherry Truffle Coralbells, Green Spice Coral Bells, Coral Bells 'Lime Marmalade', Obsidian Coral Bells, Rave On Coral Bells, Coral Bells 'Palace Purple', Royal Red Hairy Alumroot, Fire Frost Foamy Bells, Foamy Bells 'Sweet Tea', Abiqua Drinking Gourd Hosta, Carnival Hosta, Diamond Tiara Hosta, Great Expectations Hosta, Krossa Regal Hosta, Patriot Plantain Lily, Sun Power Hosta, Blue Mohawk Rush, Ligularia Britt-Marie Crawford, Mystery Dream Asiatic Lily, Variegated Japanese Silver Grass, Raspberry Wine Beebalm, Black Mondo Grass, Russian Sage, Variegated Solomon's Seal, Alpine Currant, Burgundy Iceberg Floribunda Rose, May Night Wood Sage, Black Lace Black Elder, Autumn Joy Sedum, Ralph Shugert Common Periwinkle,
 
Potential Substitutions
Heuchera micrantha 'Palace Purple'
Want More photos of this plant? Try Google Image Search!
 


Pricing and Availability History

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Limited Availability

We try very hard to source exactly what you’d like, but sometimes growers run out of plants! While this variety is a great deal at the price shown, we know that it has limited availability. If you want the plant even if it might be more expensive, or in a different size or quantity -- after you place your order, just send us a quick note at help@northshoreplantclub.com. Then, we’ll try to get you some version of this from one of our growers. And if we can’t get it from anywhere, of course, we’ll send a refund!


Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!