Do You Know Coral Bells?

I actually did discover on an Internet search there is a person with that name, but I'm talking about the flowers. In my book, Grace's Pictures, the woman Grace works for, Alice Parker, adores coral bells. She is an avid gardner, but she doesn't have these flowers in her garden, and she plans to plant them.

Later Grace and the Parker children she cares for, all named for trees, plan to plant these flowers for their mother.

When I wrote the book, I had never had any coral bells in my garden. What about you?

Of course, I had to plant some this year. Mine are a variety with purple foliage, probably not what was available in 1901 Manhattan. Here is my plant. You can't tell much by the photograph, but they seem to be doing well, and in the closeup you can see that it's about to bloom!

I planted it among some vinca vines (or creeping myrtle). I hope that's okay!

A bloom!

What about you? Do you have any perennials folks would have had in the early 20th century? Perhaps something your grandmother or great grandmother would have had? Or even a start from her plants??