Mertensia virginica en masse. — Mertensia virginica en masse. Photo © Mary Free

Tiarella cordifolia ([Heart-leaved] Foamflower)

Tiarella cordifolia (Foamflower) leaves and stolons

Tiarella cordifolia (Foamflower) in April. Photo by Elaine L. Mills, 2015-04-18, Meadowlark Botanical Gardens.

Tiarella cordifolia (Foamflower) flower buds in April

Tiarella cordifolia (Foamflower) flowers with long, exerted stamens in April

Tiarella cordifolia (Foamflower) in April at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens.

Tiarella cordifolia (Foamflower) in April at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens.

Tiarella cordifolia (Foamflower) flowers and seed capsules. Photo © Mary Free, 2010-05-07, Quarry Shade Garden, Bon Air Park.

Tiarella cordifolia (Foamflower) seeds and seed capsules in May

Tiarella cordifolia (Foamflower) clump in December

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Moist woods and stream banks are home to this charming wildflower that is less common to absent in the eastern portions of the Mid- Atlantic Region and is indigenous in NoVA only in Fairfax County. It looks as wonderful as a ground cover in shady locations as it does in a container on a patio or balcony. The plant’s tiny, star-shaped flowers and fine-textured stamens resemble foam, accounting for its common name. Ground Cover Colony, Close-up, Seed Capsules Height: 1⁄2–1 foot Spread: 1–2 feet Bloom Color: White Characteristics Clump-forming, herbaceous perennial Oval to heart-shaped, lobed leaves with soft sheen and often deep red mottling along the veins Airy racemes of tiny white flowers with finely textured, long stamens bloom from April to July Two-section capsule containing shiny black seeds Leaves may become red-bronze in autumn and remain evergreen in mild winters Rhizomatous, with stolons that spread quickly or w/o* Attributes Tolerates rabbits; intolerant of waterlogged, winter soil; no serious pests or diseases Deer seldom severely damage Ethnobotanic and therapeutic uses Attracts small bees, flies, and butterflies Growing and Maintenance Tips Excellent Replacement for Soil Requirements: Average, well-drained Glechoma hederacea - Ground Ivy Light Requirements: Partial Shade, Shade Hedera helix - English Ivy Water Requirements: Moist Liriope species Soil should be neither too wet nor too dry Pachysandra terminalis - Japanese Pachysandra Use in borders, in rock and woodland gardens, en masse as a ground cover, and to control erosion Vinca minor - Periwinkle *Flora of Virginia says two taxa may be recognized: T. cordifolia var. cordifolia with stolons and a creeping habit and T. cordifolia var. collina (aka T. wherryi) without stolons and a clumping habit. Hardiness: USDA Zones 4–9 developed by Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, serving Arlington and Alexandria Images by Mary Free, Quarry Shade Garden

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for the Mid-Atlantic

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Tiarella cordifolia ([Heart-leaved] Foamflower)

Moist woods and stream banks are home to this charming wildflower that is less common to absent in the eastern portions of the Mid-Atlantic Region and is indigenous in NoVA only in Fairfax County. It looks as wonderful as a ground cover in shady locations as it does in a container on a patio or balcony. The plant’s tiny, star-shaped flowers and fine-textured stamens resemble foam, accounting for its common name.

Learn more about other Mid-Atlantic plants:
Tried and True Native Plant Fact Sheets

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