Heartleaf Foamflower

Light Needs

Full Shade to Partial Shade

(0 - 4 Hours Of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

6-18 Inches

Mature Spread

6-18 Inches

Growing Zones

3 to 8

Heartleaf Foamflower is a fantastic native ground cover. It has clumps of fresh green leaves that help to block out weeds. A woodland garden is the natural home for Tiarella. The white frothy flowers stand above the foliage on 6- 12 inch stems when in bloom.The white blooms can brighten even the darkest corner of the shady garden.

Heartleaf Foamflower does have a scent that will attract bees and other pollinators late in the spring as it blooms. The mounding plants multiply quickly and will form a dense ground cover. Tiarella is not evergreen and does die back to the ground during the winter. Tiarella is also not drought resistant. It grows best in shaded gardens where there is plenty of natural moisture or regular irrigation.

Heartleaf Foamflower Care

Tiarella performs best when planted in rich, moist soil that is a neutral pH of 6.0 - 6.2. Very few pests or diseases are an issue with this lovely native plant. Foamflower will take all of the shade you can give it which makes it a great problem solver for that hard to plant area. 

Like other native perennials, Tiarella does not need regular fertilizing. A mulch of good quality compost in the fall as it is dying back or in the spring just as it begins to grow, is the only feeding it needs.

Low maintenance is a real thing with this plant. A quick deadheading of the flower racemes as they go over is all that is needed to keep everything tidy. Cleaning up of the past years growth can be done either in the fall or the spring depending on how far north in the hardiness zone you live. Leaving the clean up to the spring will provide the plants extra insulation from cold weather and snow cover. Dividing is not needed very often. If the plant’s blooming strength seems to be going away, a dividing and replanting of the newest, most vigorous shoots is all that is needed.

Heartleaf Foamflower Spacing

Foamflower can be planted a little closer than normal for most perennials. In order to use it as a groundcover, a spacing of 8 - 12 inches is recommended to get nice cover from the first year.