Have you heard of foam flowers? Do you have them in your shade garden?

image from Marthasteward.com 

Have you heard of foam flowers?  Do you have them in your shade garden?  

Good morning, we have fog, we have very warm morning temperatures and high of 79F(26C) with humidity.  Chances of storms all week long.  Here is the upswing of Spring.  Stay safe.
 
Australia family and friends for Tuesday April 14 will have a high of 64F(17C) with wind gusts so making it feel like 51F(10C).  We are starting to warm up, and you are starting to cool down like fall weather does. Stay warm, stay safe. 
 
 
Do you know what Foamflower is?  This is a one I haven’t heard before. 
Get ready to fall head over heels for the heart-leaf foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia): an easy-care perennial groundcover that’s perfect for shade gardens, pollinator habitats, and erosion control. Not only is this North American native plant well-adapted to low-light gardens, but it’s also naturally resistant to deer and rabbits and becomes tolerant of dry soil once its roots are established.
 
I’ve grown foamflowers in my woodland garden for years, and in this growing guide I’ll share everything I’ve learned about foamflower care—along with why I think these spring bloomers are some of the best shade plants money can buy.
What foamflowers lack in flashy foliage, they make up for with airy, foamy white to soft pink flowers that bloom from March to July and attract bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects.
I like to grow foamflowers in my shade garden with other plants that tolerate lower light conditions, like moss phlox, wild ginger, Solomon’s seal, and native ferns. I find these plants work particularly well when grown as sequential bloomers with earlier flowering ephemerals like bloodroot and trout lilies. That said, you can grow foamflowers with non-native annuals and perennials too, and they’re well adapted to container growing as long as you’re prepared to divide your plants every few years to give them more growing room.
When mature, foamflowers grow between 6 and 12 inches tall and spread gradually by creeping rhizomes that root wherever they touch the soil. This mat-forming growth habit makes foamflowers an excellent groundcover for weed suppression and erosion control, without the aggressive or invasive tendencies of many non-native groundcovers.
When to Plant Foamflower
Potted foamflowers grow best when they’re planted outdoors after the last frost of spring. Foamflower seeds can be directly planted outdoors in fall or started inside in spring about 8 to 10 weeks before your last frost date. However, the seeds germinate best if they’re cold-stratified before planting, which can be done by fall sowing or by keeping the seeds in a bag of damp sand in your fridge for about 90 days before spring sowing.
Where to Plant Foamflower
In the wild, foamflowers grow in moist forests and along shaded rocky outcroppings, but they also thrive in shade gardens, cottage gardens, woodland habitats, and wildflower beds. In the garden, these plants work well in borders or at the front of flower beds, and they can also be planted on hillsides to reduce soil loss and the need for mowing.
They grow best in dappled light and can tolerate full to part shade and morning sun. Shield this plant from bright afternoon light, though, as direct sun can cause leaf scorch!
Watering Foamflowers
Growing these plants in well-draining, moisture-retentive soil will help reduce their watering needs. Once established, foamflowers are relatively drought-tolerant, but they grow better if you water them about once a week in summer and less during winter. Just don’t water them too much or allow them to languish in soggy soil, as this can lead to rot.
Taken from https://www.almanac.com/plant/foamflower
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa [email protected]  641-794-3337  cell 641-903-9365  Beckysgreenhouse.com  Facebook Becky Kerndt Litterer or Becky’s Greenhouse