The foam flower is a natural wildflower named after the masses of foamy white to pinkish flowers that arise in the spring on long, thin stems from a dense pile of leaves. The blossoms are without a doubt the most stunning feature of this easy-care groundcover. However, even after the 4- to 6-week bloom period is finished, foamflower is a beautiful plant all year. Its semi-glossy leaves are frequently spotted with scarlet variegation along the veins or patches in the middle. In moderate winter climates, the foliage is semi-evergreen and occasionally turns reddish-bronze in the fall.
How To Grow Foam Flower
Tiarella Cordifolia (foam flower) is better suited to heavy shade than its cousin heuchera, but appreciates the dappled sunlight seen in shady forest gardens. The color of its leaf may fade in heavy shadow. In North Carolina, a position with three to five hours of dappled sunlight each day is ideal. Foam flowers prefer soil pH near to neutral, and to match them with more acid-loving plants, we propose a pH of 6.2 – 6.5, which will enable all plants to develop equally well.
The Tiarella plant is a low-maintenance plant that can be left alone in the garden for years without losing vigor. If they get tattered owing to weather extremes, they might be chopped back for renewal, but this is not required.
Deer and rabbits normally ignore the astringent Tiarella leaves but keep in mind that in the dead of winter, a starving deer or greedy rabbit would eat everything, especially Tiarella. In general, insect pests have no effect on foam flowers. Black vine weevils might sometimes infest the plant, digging into the crown and killing the tops. Systemic pesticides suppress black vine weevils, however, if left untreated, they will destroy the plant. Gardeners may encounter mealy bugs or slugs on occasion, but they are readily treated with commercial solutions. Foliar nematodes rarely generate unsightly discolored areas on the leaf. There is no way to control nematodes; the goal is to avoid them. Only buy seeds from nurseries that search for and remove diseased plants.
Tiarella thrives in shade garden containers. They prefer well-drained potting mixtures that are low in fertilizer. In the summer, keep the pots properly watered, but avoid over-watering in the winter. The pots will require some protection from the harsh winter winds.
How to Propagate Foam Flower Plant
Foam flowers are simple to grow from seed. Because the plants are often self-sterile, growers who want seed must sow many species or cultivars. The flowers bloom in the summer, and the seeds mature six weeks after fertilization when the seed pods become brown and split open. The seed might be gathered and planted right away. Germination should take 30 days, and seedlings should always be prepared to pot up by the fall. The seeds can also be dried and kept for a year.
Tiarella develops offsets on stolons that can be utilized to propagate more plants. The offsets grow their own roots just after the second season. You might dig up the clump, rinse away the soil, and take out the rooted offsets after the plant has achieved its third year. During their initial winter, smaller offsets may require being potted and kept in a cold frame. You can also pick the offsets before they’ve rooted and handle them similarly to stem cuttings. They will root quickly without the need for a rooting hormone if shielded from desiccation with a mist bench or a plastic dome. With a little extra care, you may be able to root the leaf/stem cutting by discarding a leaf at the base as well as a small amount of stem tissue.
The vast majority of commercially available Tiarella begins its life in tissue culture. Plantlets can be created in a matter of weeks by starting from buds, leaf petiole roots, or even parts of the flower stem.
Tiarella Plant Care
Foamflower is a wonderful choice for ground cover in shaded areas such as forests. It is a natural wildflower that spreads swiftly through runners and develops dense leaf mounds. When planted in large quantities, foamflower looks exceptionally nice. It may also be mixed together with other shade-loving perennials such as hostas, ferns, Solomon’s seal, and coral bells. While foamflower needs little care, snipping off wasted blooms after they bloom will make the plant look neater.
- Light: Part shade to full shade is required for foamflower. If there’s any sun, it should only occur in the morning.
- Soil: Plant foam flower in humus and organic matter-rich soil. Since foamflowers do badly in damp soil, which can promote root rot, the soil should really be capable of holding moisture as well as draining effectively.
- Water: Foamflower requires an even moisture level. It can endure brief droughts, but prolonged droughts necessitate irrigation.
- Temperature and Humidity: Because foamflower is a temperate-climate flower, it is cold-hardy but not ideal for high summer temperatures over zone 8.
- Fertilizer: Foamflower doesn’t really require fertilizer when grown in the proper soil. However, this might benefit from a thorough fertilizer application in early spring, before new growth begins.
Foamflower Companion Plants
Phlox
Phlox is one of those abundant summer flowers that any broad sunny flowerbed or border should have. There are various varieties of phlox. Garden and meadow phlox bloom in enormous panicles of fragrant flowers in a rainbow of hues. They also provide a border height, heaviness, and charm. Low-growing wild Sweet William, moss pinks, and creeping phlox are excellent ground coverings, front-of-border plants, and rock and wild garden plants, notably in the mild shade. These native treasures have been widely hybridized, particularly to toughen the leaf against mildew issues; many contemporary selections are mildew-resistant. Phlox requires plenty of moisture in its soil to thrive.
Japanese Painted Fern
Japanese-painted ferns are some of the most exquisite ferns available for your garden, with beautiful silver and burgundy patterning. Lady fern is as exquisite, if not as prominent. Either will provide texture and interest to your dark areas. Japanese-painted fern and lady fern are strongly linked and are occasionally crossed to produce lovely hybrids. These robust ferns, unlike most ferns, can endure dry soil. They will even tolerate some sun provided they have enough water.
Solomon’s Seal
This graceful shade plant features gently arching stems and hanging creamy bells. In the spring, Solomon’s seal provides height and beauty to shady landscapes. It’s a simple plant to grow that will gradually colonize—even in difficult areas where shallow tree roots drain moisture and nutrition. In the fall, the foliage becomes golden.
Bluebells
It’s a dream to come find a stand of bluebells in bloom in the woods. Bluebells are among our most prized wildflowers, possibly because their beauty is transitory. The tubular clear-blue flowers with a flare at the mouth unfold in bunches from pink buds. The lance-shaped leaf emerges purplish-brown but quickly turns medium green before falling dormant following the bloom period. Plan to replace the bluebells inside this border. It likes moist soil in the sun or moderate shade, especially around midday. Perfect with spring bulbs.
FAQs
Is Foamflower native to Ontario?
Tiarella cordifolia (foam flower) is indeed an Ontario native plant with delicate white to pinkish-white flower spikes that stands out to be one of the greatest shade garden plants. It is a showpiece in our spring shade garden and a low-maintenance long-lived perennial.
Do you cut back foam flowers?
Tiarella (foam flower America) is a low-maintenance plant and can remain undivided for years in the garden without losing vigor. They might be pruned back for renewal if they become tattered owing to weather extremes, however this is not required.
Do Foamflowers spread?
It is a natural wildflower that spreads swiftly through runners and develops dense leaf mounds. When planted in large quantities, the foamflower plant looks exceptionally nice. It can also be mixed in with other shade-loving perennials such as Solomon’s seal, hostas, ferns, and coral bells.
Is foamflower an evergreen?
The lovely lobed foliage remains attractive all summer and becomes red and bronze in the autumn in the southern regions of its habitat. The dense foliage clings to the ground, and flower spikes rarely grow taller than one foot. Foam flower is not invasive, but it will eventually make a lovely ground cover.
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