Other Names:  Coralbells, Alumroot

Group/Class:  Dressed Up Series

Brand:  Proven Winners

Description:

Large mounds of glossy black, ruffled foliage add contrast and intrigue to garden beds and borders; pink flower buds on tall scapes open to white bell flowers with pink backs; thrives in partial shade but can tolerate full shade

Ornamental Features

Dressed Up® Evening Gown Coral Bells features dainty spikes of white bell-shaped flowers with a shell pink reverse rising above the foliage from late spring to late summer, which emerge from distinctive shell pink flower buds. Its attractive crinkled lobed leaves remain deep purple in color with hints of black throughout the year.

Landscape Attributes

Dressed Up® Evening Gown Coral Bells is a dense herbaceous evergreen perennial with a mounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It is a good choice for attracting hummingbirds to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Dressed Up® Evening Gown Coral Bells is recommended for the following landscape applications;

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

Planting & Growing

Dressed Up® Evening Gown Coral Bells will grow to be about 14 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 24 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. 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 does best in partial shade to shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. This plant does not require much in the way of fertilizing once established. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone 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.

Dressed Up® Evening Gown 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 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.