Foamy bells 'Sweet Tea'
x Heucherella 'Sweet Tea' · Saxifragaceae
Big, maple-shaped leaves of cinnamon-orange with a darker star at the centre, deepening in summer and lightening again in autumn.
- Size
- 16 in tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 9
- Light
- Part sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves; flowers late May to mid July
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around foamy bells 'Sweet Tea'
The planner designed this bed around foamy bells 'Sweet Tea' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why foamy bells 'Sweet Tea' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Foamy bells 'Sweet Tea' × 3, bronze leaves
- 2 Green-and-gold × 13, yellow
- 3 Blue star creeper × 8, blue
- 4 Brown-eyed Susan × 3, yellow
- 5 Bee balm 'Purple Rooster' × 3, purple
- 6 Dwarf English boxwood × 1, dark green leaves
- 7 Surprise lily × 12, pink
- 8 Red spider lily × 5, red
Why this plant
- The only bold leaves here. The rest are medium and fine. A change of leaf keeps plants distinct when nothing is in flower.
- Grown for leaf, not flower. So is dwarf English boxwood. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
Why here
- In the middle. At 16 in it is the step between green-and-gold (6 in) in front and dwarf English boxwood (2½ ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
- Bold leaf against fine. Dwarf English boxwood is beside it: the strongest contrast of leaf there is.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, into winter. They cover the 16 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 7 of the 7 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The most in flower at one time is 4 kinds, from early August. There is more green-and-gold than anything else, 13 plants in all.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where foamy bells 'Sweet Tea' goes in a border
At 16 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is short (12 to 18 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
A cross of heuchera and foamflower with the size and heat tolerance of the villosa hybrids. The warm orange is a rare colour in shade and is at its best in morning sun.
- Orange foliage for part shade
- Hot, humid gardens
- Containers
What to plant with foamy bells 'Sweet Tea'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta 'Halcyon': spires rising out of its mound; happy in the same moist soil.
- Japanese forest grass 'All Gold': fine leaves against its bold ones; happy in the same moist soil.
- Autumn fern: medium leaves against its bold ones; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about foamy bells 'Sweet Tea'
Does foamy bells 'Sweet Tea' need sun or shade?
Foamy bells 'Sweet Tea' grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does foamy bells 'Sweet Tea' grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 9. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should foamy bells 'Sweet Tea' be planted?
20 in (50 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 24 in (60 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 16 in (40 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many foamy bells 'Sweet Tea' plants do I need?
At 20 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 4 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 7 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 14 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
Is there a native plant like foamy bells 'Sweet Tea'?
Foamy bells 'Sweet Tea' is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- American alumroot: the same job in a bed; 4 in shorter, 4 in narrower.
- Pink tickseed: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers late June to early September, fine leaves, not bold.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What does foamy bells 'Sweet Tea' look like in winter?
Foamy bells 'Sweet Tea' holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
More × Heucherella
- Foamy bells x Heucherella
- Foamy bells 'Stoplight' x Heucherella 'Stoplight'
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 16 in (40 cm) tall, 24 in (60 cm) wide
- Plant
- 20 in (50 cm) apart
- Height class
- Short (12 to 18 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Late May to mid July; airy sprays; white
- Leaves
- Bold texture, semi-evergreen; bronze, red
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 9
- Light
- Part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Saxifragaceae
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.