 |
Gardening with Tiarella cordifolia | Foamflower
|
|
Description |
|
|
Type |
herbaceous semievergreen perennial |
|
Form |
mound with flowers rising above |
|
Size
|
6-8 inches tall (8-12" in bloom) by 8-12 inches wide, spreading by runners |
| Flower | tiny white or pinkish star-shaped flowers in foamy clusters on spikes, maturing from the bottom up |
| Bloom Time | early to mid May through late May or early June at Garden in the Woods |
| Other | winter interest in warmer areas, where foliage persists and turns burgundy |
|
Garden Notes |
|
|
Zone
|
USDA hardiness zones 3-9 |
|
Light
|
part to full shade |
|
Soil
|
humusy, moist—but tolerates dry when established; slightly acid to almost neutral |
| Propagation | seed, separation of rooted offshoots, or division |
| Landscape Value | as a groundcover or in the front of a shady border, in rock or woodland gardens, along streams |
| Problems | mildew (rare); predation of crown by maggot (rare) |
| Varieties & Cultivars | Wherry’s foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia var. collina) is a clump-forming variety. Cultivars offer variable flower tints, leaf markings and leaf shapes. |
| Notes | 1.
Add a scoop of compost or leaf mold into the planting hole. 2. Allow old foliage to wither away in spring. 3. The garden flower Heucherella is a cross between Tiarella and Heuchera (alumroot or coral bells). |
| Suggested Companions | ferns, violets, Solomon’s seal, cardinal flower, wild geranium, wild columbine, phlox |
©
2003, Christine Beckert & New England Wildflower Society
