Foamy bells
x Heucherella · Saxifragaceae
A cross between coral bells and foamflower, with the coloured leaves of one and the lobed shape and frothy spring flowers of the other. Cultivars come in gold, bronze and green with dark veins.
- Size
- 12 in tall, 16 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 9
- Light
- Part sun to shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves; flowers early May to late June
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Edging
A bed built around foamy bells
The planner designed this bed around foamy bells when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why foamy bells stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Foamy bells × 5, chartreuse leaves
- 2 Moor grass 'Greenlee' × 5, tan
- 3 Northern sea oats × 5, tan
- 4 Foxglove × 4, purple
- 5 White bleeding heart × 1, white
- 6 Turtlehead 'Hot Lips' × 3, pink
- 7 Grecian windflower × 12, blue
- 8 Hardy cyclamen × 7, pink
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
Why here
- On the front edge. At 12 in it frames the bed without hiding it, and it is in leaf all season. It finishes 34% of the edge.
- 5 plants in one run. An unbroken run of one kind gives the edge a clean line.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, into winter. They cover the 11 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 5 of the 5 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Not everything here depends on flower: foamy bells earns its place with leaves. The back corners are held by northern sea oats and foxglove, the tallest plants on the plan.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 4 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Foxglove is highly poisonous to people, dogs, cats and horses. Northern sea oats spreads aggressively.
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 goes in a border
At 12 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is low (6 to 12 in).
Its job: edging. A low, neat plant used in short runs of three or five along the front to finish the edge (or, in a formal bed, in one even row).
It takes more shade and moisture than coral bells, so it brings gold and bronze into darker places. As with coral bells, repeat one leaf colour instead of mixing several.
- Coloured foliage for shade
- Edging a woodland bed
- Containers
What to plant with foamy bells
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta: bold leaves against its medium ones; spires rising out of its mound.
- Japanese painted fern.
- Foamflower: adds the flowers, late April to late May; spires rising out of its mound.
Questions about foamy bells
Does foamy bells need sun or shade?
Foamy bells grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun), part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does foamy bells 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 be planted?
16 in (40 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.
It grows 12 in (30 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many foamy bells plants do I need?
At 16 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 7 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 8 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 21 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as runs of three or five along the front (or one even row, in a formal bed).
In the bed above, the planner used five in one group.
Is foamy bells poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like foamy bells?
Foamy bells is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Scarlet coral bells: the same job in a bed; 6 in taller, flowers late May to late July.
- Sedge 'Bunny Blue': the same job in a bed; 4 in narrower, keeps its leaves in winter.
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 look like in winter?
Foamy bells 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 'Stoplight' x Heucherella 'Stoplight'
- Foamy bells 'Sweet Tea' x Heucherella 'Sweet Tea'
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 12 in (30 cm) tall, 16 in (40 cm) wide
- Plant
- 16 in (40 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Early May to late June; airy sprays; white, pink
- Leaves
- Medium texture, semi-evergreen; chartreuse, bronze, green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 9
- Light
- Part sun, part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Saxifragaceae
Checked against NC State Extension. 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.