The Primrose Path

TIARELLA—Foamflower—These are small plants native to the woodlands of North American. Easily grown in pots or a shade garden, they have fluffy flower spikes 12-16” tall of small, starry white or pink flowers in early spring. Tiarellas may grow as tight clumps or run to form loose mats. The flowers may be white or light pink. The leaves may be light or dark green, marked with maroon stripes and spots or plain, heart shaped or lobed, shiny or matte. In recent years there has been very active selection of new cultivars in this country. The forms with very cut foliage, like ’Elizabeth Oliver,’ are descendants of hybrids made in the late 1980s at The Primrose Path between eastern forms and a plant from the Pacific Northwest, T. trifoliata var. trifoliata f. laciniata. Many beautiful new garden cultivars have resulted from these hybrids, some very different from any forms found in the wild and much more impressive as specimens. The forms that we offer have been selected for vigor as well as appearance. These plants are all best grown as drifts in shaded, humus-rich soil. Read more about Tiarella on our Featured Plants pages and in our book. Clicking on the FP symbol next to the descriptive text will open the variety's Featured Plant page in a new window.

	'Butterfly Wings (PP#13,629) - At last there is a clump forming Tiarella hybrid that combines totally cut foliage with vigor. ’Butterfly Wings’ has an added attraction: the side lobes of most leaves are raised above the bottom lobe, looking like a butterfly about to take flight. In addition the central part of each leaf is heavily marked with maroon. It has light pink flowers on 12-14” stems. FP
	'Elizabeth Oliver' - This striking selection has deeply lobed leaves with heavy maroon markings and light pink flowers. It spreads by 6-12” runners to make a dense patch. This cultivar is involved in the ancestry of most of the new cut leaved and heavily marked Tiarellas on the world market today, but it has not been excelled for vigor or beauty. FP
	'Pink Brushes' (PP#13,329) - We selected this form for its excellent flowers and robust growth. The dense, full spikes are a good pink and the individual flowers are longer lasting than is usual. We think that this has the best floral display of any tiarella on the market. The large leaves are attractively “quilted” and marked with a variable central dark blotch. FP
	'Pink Pearls' (PP#13,445) - This new introduction combines the best traits of the Pacific Coast species Tiarella unifoliata with eastern garden forms. The plants make thick clumps of glossy green foliage and have showy white flowers from pink pearl-like buds from late spring on into the summer. The 18” branching flower spikes are borne at an angle rather than straight up from the foliage, as is usual. FP
	'Running Tiger' (PP#15,360) - ‘Running Tiger’ has vigorous foliage that is boldly marked with maroon. Its running habit reveals itself after the plant is established, and the plants will eventually form a continuous groundcover. There are white flowers on 18” stems in spring. FP