Discolored Coral Bells - Ask Extension
This summer my coral bells are turning orange. What is the cause, and what can I do about it? We water them once or twice a week.
Knowledgebase
Discolored Coral Bells #907875
Asked June 30, 2025, 3:04 PM EDT
This summer my coral bells are turning orange. What is the cause, and what can I do about it? We water them once or twice a week.
Howard County Maryland
Expert Response
It's hard to tell without a closeup image of the symptoms, but this appears to be scorch, which is caused by environmental stress. Heuchera, when growing wild, occur in semi-shaded or mostly-shaded habitats; they are seldom exposed to lots of direct afternoon sun. The reflected heat that may be impacting them from the nearby bench could be a contributing factor.
Heuchera also require excellent soil drainage, and if they happen to be growing in soil that stays too wet (perhaps due to poor drainage, or from irrigation run too often), they may develop some root rot that can predispose a plant to scorch or heat/drought stress (because at that point, the damaged root system can't keep the leaves hydrated).
Some leafminer insect species can cause blotchy browning in the leaves of their host plant, though you can hold removed leaves up to the light to look for a dark area within the brown blotch that indicates an insect larva may be present. If so, nothing needs to be done because they don't cause the plant long-lasting damage, though you can clip off the affected leaves. The same is true for leaf spot infections, which tend to be more common in wet conditions (either on plants irrigated frequently, or in rainy weather).
Our prime suspect is scorch, based on how the plants look, but regardless of the cause, all you can do is to trim off any of the affected leaves that are bothersome. (Any with minor scorch, like around the leaf edges only, can be left, as the healthy portions of those leaves are still feeding the plant.) You can monitor them for watering needs -- feel the soil several inches deep and water only once it becomes somewhat dry to the touch at that depth -- but other than that, nothing needs to be done. Watering once or twice a week is probably fine in hot, dry weather, but Heuchera have a better tolerance for drying out than they do for staying damp. (Even if the symptoms are due to an insect or fungus causing damage, using an insecticide or fungicide at this stage would not provide any benefit.)
Miri
Heuchera also require excellent soil drainage, and if they happen to be growing in soil that stays too wet (perhaps due to poor drainage, or from irrigation run too often), they may develop some root rot that can predispose a plant to scorch or heat/drought stress (because at that point, the damaged root system can't keep the leaves hydrated).
Some leafminer insect species can cause blotchy browning in the leaves of their host plant, though you can hold removed leaves up to the light to look for a dark area within the brown blotch that indicates an insect larva may be present. If so, nothing needs to be done because they don't cause the plant long-lasting damage, though you can clip off the affected leaves. The same is true for leaf spot infections, which tend to be more common in wet conditions (either on plants irrigated frequently, or in rainy weather).
Our prime suspect is scorch, based on how the plants look, but regardless of the cause, all you can do is to trim off any of the affected leaves that are bothersome. (Any with minor scorch, like around the leaf edges only, can be left, as the healthy portions of those leaves are still feeding the plant.) You can monitor them for watering needs -- feel the soil several inches deep and water only once it becomes somewhat dry to the touch at that depth -- but other than that, nothing needs to be done. Watering once or twice a week is probably fine in hot, dry weather, but Heuchera have a better tolerance for drying out than they do for staying damp. (Even if the symptoms are due to an insect or fungus causing damage, using an insecticide or fungicide at this stage would not provide any benefit.)
Miri
