Heuchera villosa (Hairy Alumroot) Unity Grown

Heuchera villosa, also called hairy alumroot or coral bell, is a low-growing woodland perennial wildflower. Considered rare across much of its range, hairy alumroot is considered formally extirpated from the state of Maryland, meaning that while it was once native and grew wild, it can no longer be found beyond introduced specimens. Well-regarded as an ornamental garden selection for its showy, bright green leaves with broad lobes and fine, velvety hairs that cover the plants stems and leaves (hence its common name). Though not as neon as some of the varieties of the plant available on the market, the wild-type hairy alumroot is still attractive for the home garden, and provides an excellent source of food for native, specialist bees that require Heuchera villosa to survive. As with all coral bells, Heuchera villosa performs best in rich organic soil in partial to full-shade, but is also not very picky about its growth conditions, perfoming just fine in a variety of soil types and moisture levels.

Heuchera villosa grows to a mature size of about 6-18" tall in clumps about 1-2' wide, depending on its growth conditions; when in bloom from late spring into the fall, hairy alumroot can reach heights of closer to 3' tall thanks to its upright spikes of creamy white flowers. Even after flowers fade, Heuchera villosa lends ornamental appeal to all sorts of gardens thanks to its semi-evergreen to evergreen foliage, which lengthen the window of visual appeal to almost year-round! Generally clump-forming, coral bell will typically spread out from a central point, making it a great formal groundcover choice, especially for shady woodland gardens or underneath more mature shrubs and trees. With hairy, distasteful leaves, Heuchera villosa is tolerant of rabbits and deer, grows well even under black walnut trees, and will tolerate heat and humidity like a champ.