perennial
Coral bells 'Firefly'
Heuchera sanguinea 'Firefly'
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Hardy in zones 3–8, Coral bells 'Firefly' is a semi-evergreen perennial. It grows 1–1.5 ft tall and 1–1.5 ft wide, so plant it 1.25 ft apart. Give it part sun to part shade and average water. It flowers red in May to July. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the filler role: a flowering plant that fills the middle or front of the bed. It is native to the Desert Southwest. Deer may browse it when other food is short, and it is not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in the Southeast, Florida and the Gulf and Texas and the South-Central states, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Heuchera sanguinea 'Firefly'
- Plant type
- Perennial, semi evergreen
- Hardiness zones
- 3 to 8
- Sun
- Part sun (4–6 hours); Part shade (2–4 hours)
- Water
- Medium
- Soil
- Well-drained soil; crowns rot in wet clay.
- Mature size
- 1–1.5 ft tall × 1–1.5 ft wide
- Spacing
- 1.25 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Bloom
- May–Jul · red
- Roles in a bed
- Filler, Edge
- Styles
- natural, cottage, classic
- Deer resistance
- Medium: browsed when deer are hungry
- Pets
- Not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. ASPCA lists coral bells (Heuchera sanguinea) as non-toxic to dogs and cats.
- Native to
- Desert Southwest
- Pot size and price
- 1-gallon pot, typically $12–$20 (sometimes stocked)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water deeply once or twice a week through the first growing season; keep soil evenly moist, not soggy.
- Pruning
- Remove spent flower stalks; trim tattered leaves in spring.
Sources: ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List (from general knowledge; not re-checked unless verification is web-checked); Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder and grower tags; State extension service guidance and USDA PLANTS distribution maps; Rutgers NJAES Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance; Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States and state noxious weed lists; Typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box retail listings (estimate). Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Guides that include this plant
- Dog-safe plants for a part-shade bed in zone 5 (as a substitute)
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Coral bells 'Firefly', across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Bee balmMonarda didymaperennial · zones 4–9
- Red twig dogwood 'Arctic Fire'Cornus sericea 'Farrow'shrub · zones 3–7
- Arrowwood viburnum 'Blue Muffin'Viburnum dentatum 'Christom'shrub · zones 3–8
- Weeping redbud 'Ruby Falls'Cercis canadensis 'Ruby Falls'small tree · zones 5–9
- White wood asterEurybia divaricataperennial · zones 3–8
- Tufted hair grassDeschampsia cespitosaornamental grass · zones 4–9
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Coral bells 'Firefly': same role in the bed, passing the same rules.
- Christmas fernPolystichum acrostichoideszones 3–9 · not flagged toxic to pets
- FoamflowerTiarella cordifoliazones 3–8 · not flagged toxic to pets
- White wood asterEurybia divaricatazones 3–8 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Aromatic aster 'October Skies'Symphyotrichum oblongifolium 'October Skies'zones 3–8 · not flagged toxic to pets
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants