Wherry's foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia var. collina · Saxifragaceae
The clumping form of the native foamflower: pink-tinged white spires, scented, over maple-shaped leaves that bronze in winter.
- Size
- 10 in tall, 12 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 9
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Early May to late June
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around wherry's foamflower
The planner designed this bed around wherry's foamflower when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) cottage garden in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why wherry's foamflower stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Wherry's foamflower × 11, white
- 2 Leadwort × 16, blue
- 3 Tufted hair grass × 3, tan
- 4 Foxglove × 3, purple
- 5 Inkberry 'Gem Box' × 1, dark green leaves
- 6 Blue wood aster × 3, lavender
- 7 Double snowdrop × 12, white
- 8 Grecian windflower × 12, pink
Why this plant
- Nothing here is unique to it. Its leaf, flower shape and colour are all on the plan already. Its case rests on where it stands and when it performs.
Why here
- On the front edge. At 10 in it frames the bed without hiding it, and it is in leaf all season. It finishes 45% of the edge.
- 11 plants in 3 runs (5, 3 and 3). Runs of different lengths make the edge a frame, not a ruled line.
Why now
- In flower for 8 weeks. From early May to late June.
- Fills a gap. For four of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as a cottage garden: 37 of the 37 plants (100%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. Heights step up from about 8 in at the front to 3½ ft at the back. The flowering year starts with double snowdrop in early February and ends with blue wood aster in mid October.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 4 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where wherry's foamflower goes in a border
At 10 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: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
It flowers longer than the running kind and stays where it is put. Often sold as Tiarella wherryi. Mass it at the front of a woodland bed.
- Massing at the front of a shady bed
- Native woodland gardens
- Spring flowers and winter foliage
What to plant with wherry's foamflower
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Christmas fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; tall enough (20 in) to stand behind it.
- Wild geranium: in flower together for five weeks, from early May; a low mound at the foot of its spires; tall enough (20 in) to stand behind it.
- White trillium: in flower together for three weeks, from early May; tall enough (16 in) to stand behind it; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about wherry's foamflower
Does wherry's foamflower need sun or shade?
Wherry's foamflower grows in 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 is one of the few that also put up with deep shade.
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does wherry's foamflower 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.
When does wherry's foamflower flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early May to late June. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 4 | Early May to late June |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Early May to late June |
| Zone 6 | Late April to late June |
| Zone 7 | Mid April to mid June |
| Zone 8 | Mid April to mid June |
| Zone 9 | Early April to early June |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should wherry's foamflower be planted?
10 in (25 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 12 in (30 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 10 in (25 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many wherry's foamflower plants do I need?
At 10 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 17 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 13 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 55 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 11 in three groups.
Is wherry's foamflower 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.
Do deer eat wherry's foamflower?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after wherry's foamflower?
Wherry's foamflower is over by late June. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Astilbe: from late June to mid July, 24 in tall.
- Bigleaf hydrangea 'Endless Summer': from late June to mid September, 4 ft tall.
- Large self-heal: from mid June to early August, 8 in tall.
What does wherry's foamflower look like in winter?
Wherry's foamflower 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.
Is wherry's foamflower good for bees and butterflies?
Wherry's foamflower is visited by pollinators, bees, butterflies, moths and songbirds.
It is native to the United States.
More Tiarella
- Foamflower Tiarella cordifolia
- Foamflower 'Sugar and Spice' Tiarella 'Sugar and Spice'
In these guides
- Plants for deep shade
- Deer-resistant plants for shade
- Pet-safe plants for shade
- Native perennials for pollinators
- Native plants for shade
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants for bees
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Low plants for the front of a border
- Plants with spires: vertical accents
Zone guides: Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 10 in (25 cm) tall, 12 in (30 cm) wide
- Plant
- 10 in (25 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Early May to late June; upright spires; white, pink
- Leaves
- Medium texture, semi-evergreen; green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 9
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Saxifragaceae
- Comes from
- Nova Scotia, Appalachian Mountains to Alabama West to Minnesota
- Attracts
- Pollinators, bees, butterflies, moths, songbirds
- Stands up to
- Deer, deep shade
Checked against NC State Extension and VASCAN (plants of Canada). 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.