Common Name: foam flower
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Saxifragaceae
Zone: 4 to 9
Height: 0.50 to 1.50 feet
Spread: 1.00 to 1.50 feet
Bloom Time: April to May
Bloom Description: Light pink fading to white
Sun: Part shade to full shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Flower: Showy, Fragrant
Leaf: Colorful, Good Fall
Tolerate: Deer
Culture
Easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soil in part shade to full shade. Prefers humusy, organically rich, moisture-retentive soils. Soil should not be allowed to dry out. Avoid wet soils which can be fatal particularly in winter. Removal of flower spikes after bloom will improve the appearance of the foliage mound. Foliage is semi-evergreen in the St. Louis area where the amount of retained foliage color in winter, if any, is in large part dependent upon the severity of the temperatures.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Tiarella is a genus of about 7 species of herbaceous perennials from East Asia and North America. They make good ground covers in woodland gardens and shady borders.
Plants are in the same family as and somewhat suggestive of Heuchera, Tellima and Mitella. Tiarella is sometimes commonly called false miterwort because of its similarity to Mitella (miterwort).
Genus name comes from the Greek tiara meaning a small crown in reference to the form of the fruit.
'Pink Brushes' was bred by Charles Oliver of Scottdale, Pennsylvania using Tiarella 'Braveheart' as the seed parent and Tiarella 'Spring Bronze' as the pollen parent. Its 3 to 4 in. wide, maple-like leaves are deeply palmately lobed with dark purple centers that extend along the main veins. They turn bronze to red in fall. It has light pink, bell-shaped flowers that emerge from pink buds and are arranged on dense racemes. The flowers fade to white and are reputed to be more richly colored, more numerous and longer lasting than other foam flowers. 'Pink Brushes' grows 0.5 to 1.5 ft. tall and 1 to 1.5 ft. wide. U.S. Plant Patent PP#13,329 awarded December 10, 2002.
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Watch for powdery mildew. Susceptible to root weevils and slugs.
Uses
Excellent selection for shaded areas of rock gardens, woodland gardens, border fronts, naturalized plantings or moist areas along streams or ponds. Mass for an attractive ground cover. Containers.