Foamflower (Tiarella spp.) gracing a woodland path at Southern Highlands Reserve in North Carolina.
Foamflower (Tiarella spp.) is a common spring-blooming native perennial in north and southwest Georgia. It is also one of our most widely sold spring flowers thanks to nurseries that have found it easy to propagate and hybridize. In natural areas, find it in moist forests with good drainage. A few leaves often remain year-round, although they may be flat on the ground. In April, look for thin stems of white-pink flowers; the flowers are arranged in a raceme and open from the bottom.
Tiarella wherryi (left) and Tiarella nautila (right).
Naturally, Georgia has several species of foamflower with most being sold as Tiarella cordifolia which is a clumping species. Tiarella wherryi and Tiarella nautila are also clumping species. There are stoloniferous species as well: Tiarella austrina is considered to be in Georgia while T. stolonifera is not. There is a new article out by Guy Nesom with some recent research on Tiarella species and what he considers to be their natural range. Some species are best identified while in bloom. I can already tell from some old photos that what I thought was Tiarella cordifolia is probably T. nautila.
If you’re shopping for part-shade perennials, foamflower is a good choice if it is in your range. You might find plants called Heucherella for sale – that’s a nursery-bred hybrid between Tiarella and its Saxifragaceae family relative Heuchera. Foamflower needs good drainage, so mix in a few bits of rock or gravel when planting if necessary. If you can encourage moss to grow in the same area, you just might get some babies in the future.
Closeup of foamflower bloom (left) and the stoloniferous species Tiarella austrina (right).
