Heuchera 'Hollywood' (Coral Bells 'Hollywood') care

Light

The Goldilocks zone. Not the south-facing windowsill (too hot, too direct), not the back of the room (too dim, growth stalls). Best in partial shade with 2-4 hours of morning sun. The burgundy pigmentation deepens in brighter conditions but afternoon sun in hot climates bleaches and stresses the foliage. Dappled woodland light is ideal. If you can't decide, a free phone lux-meter app aimed at the leaf at noon should read between 800 and 1,500 lux.

Watering

Watering heuchera 'hollywood': when the top 2-3 cm of soil is dry, roughly every 7-10 days in the growing season. The number that matters isn't the day of the week — it's how dry the top 2-3 cm of the pot feels. A finger in the soil tells you more than a watering app. After every watering, tip the saucer. Water at soil level to avoid wetting the crown and rosette. Reduce frequency significantly in winter during semi-dormancy. This cultivar is moderately drought-tolerant once established but performs best with consistent moisture.

Soil and pot

Heuchera 'Hollywood' grows best in humus-rich, well-draining loam. Incorporate organic matter at planting to improve moisture retention and drainage. A pH of 6.0-7.0 is optimal. Avoid heavy clay without amendment — crown rot is the main risk in poorly drained soils. A pot with a working drainage hole is non-negotiable for this species — even free-draining mix will turn soggy in a closed planter. If you love the look of a decorative pot without a hole, use it as a cachepot around an inner nursery pot you can lift out to water.

Humidity and temperature

Heuchera 'Hollywood' sits happiest at around 40-60% humidity and 5-25°C (41-77°F). Tolerates typical outdoor and indoor humidity without issue. Ensure adequate spacing between plants to maintain airflow and reduce the risk of fungal leaf spots in humid summers. If you keep the room above 5 year-round and avoid placing the plant near a cold draught, a hot radiator, or an air-conditioning vent, you have already handled the two biggest indoor stressors.

Fertilising

Feed heuchera 'hollywood' sparingly. Feed once in early spring with a balanced granular fertiliser worked lightly into the soil. Avoid overfeeding with nitrogen, which produces overly lush growth susceptible to botrytis; a half-strength liquid feed at midsummer is sufficient for flowering support. Skip fertiliser entirely on a stressed, recently-repotted, or actively wilting plant — fertiliser salts make damage worse, not better. Wait for a round of healthy new growth before resuming a feeding rhythm.

Common problems

Below are the issues we see most often on heuchera 'hollywood' in the Growli community. Each is annotated with the most common cause so you know where to start.

• Crown rot — Persistent wetness around the crown leads to rotting; plant in well-drained soil and avoid mulching directly against the stem.
• Vine weevil larvae — Root damage causes sudden collapse of the plant; apply beneficial nematodes to the soil in late summer as a preventive treatment.
• Rust — Orange pustules on leaf undersides in cool, damp conditions; remove affected leaves and treat with a copper-based fungicide if severe.
• Leaf scorch — Brown leaf edges develop in intense afternoon sun or during drought; relocate to a shadier spot and ensure consistent watering.
• Slugs and snails — Young foliage is attractive to molluscs; use copper tape, grit barriers, or wildlife-safe slug pellets around new spring growth.

Companion plants

Heuchera 'Hollywood' pairs well with Hosta, Astilbe, Tiarella, and Pulmonaria. These are species with similar light and water needs, so you can group them in the same room or on the same shelf and water as a batch.

Propagation

Divide mature clumps every 3-4 years in spring or early autumn to maintain vigour. Cut through the crown with a clean sharp knife, ensuring each division has several growing points and roots. Replant immediately at the correct depth — burying the crown promotes rot. Propagation is the cheapest, most satisfying way to expand a collection — and it doubles as insurance against losing a mature plant to an accident. Take a backup cutting once the parent is established and healthy.

Toxicity to pets

Heuchera 'Hollywood' is pet-safe. Heuchera is listed by the ASPCA as non-toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. No toxic compounds have been identified in this genus at normal garden exposure levels. If you keep cats, dogs, or curious children in the house, weigh placement carefully — a high shelf or a hanging planter is enough for casual safety. For severe ingestion incidents, call your local vet and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (in the US, 888-426-4435).

Pet-safety status is sourced from the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List, which catalogues the most-asked-about plants for cats, dogs, and horses.

Heuchera 'Hollywood' deep-dive guides

Every aspect of heuchera 'hollywood' care, each with its own calibrated guide:

• Common heuchera 'hollywood' problems & fixes
• Heuchera 'Hollywood' watering schedule
• Heuchera 'Hollywood' light requirements
• Best soil mix for heuchera 'hollywood'
• Heuchera 'Hollywood' fertilizing guide
• When to repot heuchera 'hollywood'
• How to propagate heuchera 'hollywood'
• How to prune heuchera 'hollywood'
• What's eating my heuchera 'hollywood'?
• Heuchera 'Hollywood' growth rate & size
• Heuchera 'Hollywood' cold hardiness
• Heuchera 'Hollywood' temperature & humidity
• Is heuchera 'hollywood' toxic to cats & dogs?
• Is heuchera 'hollywood' toxic to cats?
• Is heuchera 'hollywood' toxic to dogs?
• All 56 Heuchera varieties
• Getting heuchera 'hollywood' to bloom

Featured in these plant shortlists

Heuchera 'Hollywood' qualifies for 14 curated Growli shortlists — each one filtered objectively from our structured plant-care library, so the selection is consistent and checkable:

• Best pet-safe houseplants — Houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats and dogs — every one verified against the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list.
• Best low-light houseplants — Houseplants that need no direct sun and cope with a north-facing room or a spot well back from a window.
• Best plants for a north-facing window — Houseplants for a north-facing window: bright, even, indirect light and no scorching direct sun. Each pick verified against its documented light needs.
• Best pet-safe low-light plants — Non-toxic to cats and dogs AND happy with no direct sun — the two hardest constraints to satisfy at once.
• Best plants for cold, dark rooms — Houseplants that cope with BOTH low light and a cool, unheated room — the hardest indoor spot to fill. Every pick tolerates a low of about 10°C and shade.
• Best drought-tolerant houseplants — Houseplants that prefer to dry out — forgiving of forgotten watering and ideal for travel or busy weeks.
• Best houseplants for beginners — Forgiving of irregular light and watering — the houseplants least likely to die in a new plant parent’s first season.
• Best flowering houseplants — Indoor plants grown for their blooms — selected from the flowering species in Growli’s plant-care library.
• Best pet-safe low-maintenance plants — Non-toxic to cats and dogs and forgiving of forgotten watering — the easiest safe choices for a busy pet household.
• Best pet-safe flowering plants — Flowering houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats and dogs — colour and blooms in a pet home, without the worry.
• Best houseplants for a cool room — Houseplants that tolerate cool conditions down to about 10°C — for an unheated spare room, hallway, porch or a home kept cool.
• Best pet-safe bedroom plants — Non-toxic to cats and dogs and happy in lower light — calming greenery for a bedroom where a pet often sleeps too.
• Best cat-safe plants — Houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats (and dogs) — safe greenery for a home with a curious cat.
• Best dog-safe plants — Houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to dogs (and cats) — safe greenery for a home with a curious dog.
• Browse all 30 plant shortlists — pet-safe, low-light, drought-tolerant and more

Related guides

Heuchera 'Hollywood' is also commonly called Coral Bells 'Hollywood' or Alumroot 'Hollywood'.

• Phlox subulata 'Emerald Blue' care — light, water and common problems
• Phlox maculata 'Alpha' care — light, water and common problems
• Penstemon 'Husker Red' care — light, water and common problems
• All 11687 plant care guides in the Growli library