Tiarella ‘Sugar and Spice’ Is a Sweet Ground Cover for Shade
This perennial appeals with its pale spring flowers and its colorful, textural foliage.
Pretty flowers and eye-catching leaves make Tiarella 'Sugar and Spice' an excellent ground cover for shade gardens. Given the right conditions—the gentle light and rich soil of the woodland— this foamflower need little attention from the gardener.
Common name: 'Sugar and Spice' foamflower
Botanical name: Tiarella 'Sugar and Spice'
Origin: Tiarella is a genus of perennial plants native to Asia and North America. The cultiva 'Sugar and Spice' incorporates several different species. It was introduced to the garden market in 2006.
Flowers: Spikes of tiny white flowers open from pink buds in mid-spring. These long-lasting flowers stand just above the foliage and can occur in great numbers. A light rebloom may appear in summer if the plant is deadheaded and kept in its ideal conditions.
Foliage: Maple-like in shape, new leaves emerge in spring just ahead of the flowers and continue to develop into summer. Spring foliage is shiny and bright green with a maroon splotch at the center. The color darkens in summer, eventually turning mostly purple in fall. This plant is evergreen, but the winter foliage remains its best in mild climates. In harsh winters it will deteriorate.
Size and habit: This perennial reaches eight to ten inches tall in leaf, with the flowers adding a couple inches of height when they appear. It's a mounding plant growing slightly wider than it is tall and remains in a clump. To create a ground cover, plant it in multiples spaced no more than a foot apart.
Related: Tiarella 'Sugar and Spice' can be mixed with other plants, including sedges, to make a weed-blocking tapestry. Read more in "How to Combine Sedges with Garden Perennials" and "Using Perennial Plants As a Living Green Mulch."
Growing Tiarella 'Sugar and Spice'
Exposure: Part to full shade
How to grow it: Foamflowers need part to full shade and consistently moist, fertile soil. An annual topdressing of compost will create optimal soil conditions. This perennial also benefits from mulching with fallen leaves, which both conserves soil moisture and feeds the earth through decomposition. Shred large leaves or use only small, fine leaves as mulch to avoid smothering the plants or inducing rot.
If the soil is enhanced with these steps, Tiarella 'Sugar and Spice' does not need fertilizer. It does require regular watering through dry spells. Keep the soil moist but not wet.
Deadheading the spent flowers can encourage a light rebloom. Trim away old, damaged foliage in early spring, before growth resumes. Propagate by division in late summer. USDA Zones 4–9.
Related: Tiarellas can be treated just like their cousins coral bells (Heuchera) in spring. Follow the steps in "Tidying Up Heuchera Plants by Pruning Them." And learn about propagating them in "Dividing Perennial Plants: Why, When, How and What."
Image courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc.
