Foam Flower
Tiarella
Also called foamflower
Foam Flower blooms from April through June.
Mature size, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not.
Growing Foam Flower
Plant it in part shade. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–8. Expect it to reach about 12 in tall and 1.3 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years.
When to plant Foam Flower
Plant Foam Flower in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. For the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 8 range, spring means April to June and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from April to June.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar: for the middle of its range, start with zone 5 in April.
Good to know about Foam Flower
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Worth knowing
The shade and moisture it loves also invite its two problems: slugs in damp shade and root rot in soggy ground. Soil that stays moist but drains fixes both. per Clemson and NC State
Running vs clumping forms
Some forms run by stolons and sheet across shady ground; others stay in tidy clumps. Pick a running type for groundcover, a clumping type for edging or pots. per NC State and University of Maryland
Deciduous or semi-evergreen?
Leaf persistence depends on climate. In mild and southern zones the foliage is semi-evergreen and turns bronze in winter; where winters are hard it drops like a deciduous plant. per Clemson and NC State
Eastern woodland native
A forest-floor wildflower of moist, shaded eastern North American woods, from Nova Scotia south to Georgia and west to Minnesota. It was the 1986 NC Wildflower of the Year. per NC State
Early forage for pollinators
The airy spring flower spikes draw bees, butterflies and other early pollinators, useful woodland forage when little else is open. Recommended for pollinator and native gardens. per NC State
Moderately deer resistant
Reported as moderately deer resistant, meaning deer browse it less than many perennials rather than never. Its relatives Heuchera and Heucherella are treated the same way. per University of Maryland and NC State
Distinct from coral bells
Foamflower (Tiarella) is not coral bells (Heuchera) or their hybrid foamy bells (x Heucherella). Read the maple-lobed leaves and foamy spring spikes to tell it apart at the nursery. per NC State
What pairs well with Foam Flower
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Cardinal Flower
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate to high water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; taller at 3.3 ft, for the layer behind it.
Northern Sea Oats
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 3.3 ft, for the layer behind it.
Summersweet
Shares part shade and moderate to high water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; taller at 5.9 ft, for the layer behind it.
Hellebore
Shares part shade and moderate water; opens in late winter and overlaps into this one's season; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; a soft color beside the pink.
Witch Hazel
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; blooms in late winter, before this one opens; stands well above at 9.8 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Goatsbeard
Shares part shade and moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into midsummer; taller at 3.9 ft, for the layer behind it; both are native plants.
Camellia
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in midwinter, before this one opens; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; stands well above at 6.6 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; they only overlap in zones 7 to 8.
Snowdrop
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in late winter, before this one opens; lower at 5 in, for the front of the border; its white flowers settle the pink.
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