Common Name: foam flower
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Saxifragaceae
Zone: 4 to 9
Height: 0.75 to 1.50 feet
Spread: 1.00 to 1.50 feet
Bloom Time: May
Bloom Description: Pinkish white
Sun: Part shade to full shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Naturalize
Flower: Showy
Leaf: Colorful
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.
This foamflower hybrid is a clump-forming perennial which forms a basal foliage mound of unusual, star-shaped, maple-like leaves (to 4" across) with very dark centers. Foliage mound typically grows 6-9" tall and 12" wide, but slowly spreads by stolons to as much as 24" wide. Foliage turns an attractive reddish-bronze in autumn, and remains attractive throughout the winter (evergreen) in mild winter climates. Tiny, pinkish-white flowers in airy racemes bloom in spring on erect, wiry, mostly leafless stems which rise just above the foliage mound to a height of 10-13".
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.