Northern Shade Gardening

Tiarella 'Pink Skyrocket' foam flower mostly open

Tiarella (foam flower) are a new favourite shade perennial of mine. In spring they send up short spikes of pretty blooms over top of very decorative leaves. These plants are very tolerant of growing under the trees, and in other shadowy garden areas. All of mine have survived a zone 3 winter with no problems. Of the three that I grow, ‘Sugar and Spice’ and ‘Pink Skyrocket’ are my favourites. ‘Jeepers Creepers’ might just need another year to settle in and produce more flowers.

Tiarella 'Sugar and Spice' foamflower up close detail

Above is Tiarella ‘Sugar and Spice’, which gets a good number of flowers. These have been in bloom for over a month now. Each flower spike starts with tight buds, and then gradually the buds open from the bottom. As they open, they produce tiny starry shaped, white flowers. From a distance the combination of pink buds and white flowers have a light pink appearance, living up to their ‘Sugar and Spice’ name. It takes a while for all of the buds to open, and then they appear as very pale pink.

Tiarella 'Sugar and Spice' foamflower with pine needles

I have one group of ‘Sugar and Spice’ right under the low branches of a pine tree, which you can see on the left of the above picture. Despite the challenging shade conditions, they are still producing these pretty blooms. The other group of ‘Sugar and Spice’ have an eastern exposure, and get an hour or so of light in the morning, and then a bit of dappled light throughout the day.

Tiarella 'Sugar and Spice' foamflower close up of leaf markings

The leaves of ‘Sugar and Spice’ are cut into lobes, with very dark, almost black, markings down the centre of each lobe. They have  a reflective finish, especially the new leaves, which helps them show up even more in a shady nook. The photo above was taken in the rain, but even without extra water, they still have a nice sheen.

Tiarella 'Sugar and Spice' foamflower with Convallaria

Here is a pink  ‘Sugar and Spice’ foam flower plant with some white Convallaria majalis (lily of the valley) blooms behind. It is a sweet springtime combination that I took earlier in the month.

Tiarella 'Pink Skyrocket' foam flower in front of birdbath

Tiarella ‘Pink Skyrocket’ bloomed for quite a while last year, and they are doing the same this year. Each plant has a large number of these floral spikes. They start as narrow spikes of dark salmon pink buds, and then open to cylinders of light, fluffy pink. The foam flowers are covered in blooms, even in shady conditions.

Tiarella 'Pink Skyrocket' foam flower with Pulmonaria flowers

The leaves of ‘Pink Skyrocket’ are especially deeply cut, with the lobes going almost to the centre. They have a glossy finish, with narrow dark markings down the middle of each lobe.  The plant above is next to some Pulmonaria ‘Samourai’ (lungwort) which has the beautiful blue flowers.

Tiarella 'Pink Skyrocket' with buds at top

The photo above shows the fireworks appearance that is an inspiration for their name. I have two separate groups of ‘Pink Skyrocket’, and both get little direct light, yet they still make a great flower show and have wonderfully healthy foliage. One group is on the north side of a fence, at the edge of a tall pine, with a birdbath behind, and a Hydrangea shrub beside them. The other group is in a bed at the side of the house, next to a tall Aruncus (goat’s beard) with mostly indirect light.

Tiarella 'Jeepers Creepers' foam flower with bloom

This year my Tiarella ‘Jeepers Creepers’ are later than the others in blooming. I’m not sure if this is their normal schedule, or if it is because they were planted last fall. They also have a smaller number of blooms, even though they are in about the same light conditions as my other Tiarella. It could be that this hybrid is less floriferous, they don’t bloom quite as well in very low light conditions, or they just need another year to get established.

Tiarella 'Jeepers Creepers' foam flower wet leaves

Despite the smaller flower show, the leaves of  ‘Jeepers Creepers’ are particularly attractive. They have very nice noticeable markings, that looks really sharp in the shade garden, making them stand out against other solid coloured leaves. Plus they are tactile, being covered in tiny hairs. I have some ‘Jeepers Creepers’ planted between some purple leafed Heuchera and some green Cornus canadensis, and like how the darkest purple centres of the Tiarella look with the more solid purple Heuchera. The combination of light and dark on the Tiarella makes a nice bridge between them.

Each Tiarella plant is about 30 cm (12 in ) tall and 40 cm (15 in ) across. The foliage is semi-evergreen, though not quite as hardy as Heuchera leaves. Still, they kept many of their leaves over the winter, giving a fast start to the garden colour in spring. Tiarella foliage still looks great at the end of fall, when many perennials had already died back. These are another super perennial for extending your gardening time in a short growing season.

Tiarella 'Pink Skyrocket' pink flowers with pulmonaria blue flowers

You can see how beautifully Tiarella combine with blue flowers. I particularly like them with the Pulmonaria.  So far, ‘Pink Skyrocket’ and ‘Sugar and Spice’ are my favourite for their flowers. However,  ‘Sugar and Spice’ and ‘Jeepers Creepers’ have the nicest leaves. I can highly recommend Tiarella if you are gardening in the shade. They will grow under trees and shrubs, while producing lovely flowers and showy leaves. Here are more photos of Tiarella and Heuchera.

I’ve added a gallery, so you can see more shots. Just click on any small photo to enlarge it to full size.

Here are some brilliant white flowers blooming in the spring shade garden. Each one of these perennials have distinctly different flower shapes and arrangements. With their light colour they show up well in the  darker garden beds, while other flowers might fade into the background. White and ivory colours can also be noticed better when viewing from a distance, and are the last flowers visible in the twilight.

white flowers in spring

At the top is Lamprocapnos spectabilis ‘Alba’, formerly Dicentra spectabilis ‘Alba’  (bleeding heart), with those unmistakable hearts strung along the stems. The buds start off green, while the mature flowers are luminescent in the shadows. You can see the buds closest to the bottom of the stems have already opened, while the ones at the top ares still waiting to swell into pure white hearts. I love these old fashioned perennials that don’t mind a darker garden spot and have such a distinctive display of white flowers.

Trillium grandiflorum (large trillium) are on the left of the middle row. The little woodland blooms only flower for a short time, but then the other surrounding perennials take over for the rest of the summer, as these die back. The three white petals, centred against the three leaves, are incandescent in a shady garden area under the trees. These ones have no problems growing underneath the maple, and seem to appreciate the tree debris that decomposes into the soil below.

The Convallaria majalis (lily of the valley) in the middle have the purest white flowers, in clusters of suspended open bells. However, it is their scent that I notice first when I go out into the garden now. I have groups of these flowers in different garden beds, so the wonderful perfume is swirling around as I bend over to tend to the gardens. Although they spread, I find it very easy to pull them out where I don’t want them. Usually I wait until after they have flowered if I need to pull them back. They are so low maintenance, so entrancing in bloom, and the scent is so delightful, that I don’t mind them trying out a new garden bed when I’m not watching. When lily of the valley like their location and produce lots of flowers, their little bells light up the shade garden.

The Polygonatum (solomon’s seal) are on the right side of the middle row. They are just starting to flower, but they haven’t opened into their bell shape yet. The pretty buds are dangling from the stems that curve over. The solomon’s seal flowers are not really white, but there will be pairs of creamy coloured, flared bells dangling all along the stems in a week. Some plants seem to have the bells in pairs, and some are solitary. Mine grow under the branches of a willow tree and compete very well against that giant.

Brunnera macrophylla ‘Mr. Morse’ (Siberian bugloss) have a mist of tiny white flowers for about six weeks in spring. The little starry flowers give a white cloud effect. In darker areas, the white blooms and silver leaves of Mr. Morse add some light. Those beautiful  leaves look just like ‘Jack Frost’, with distinctive green veins on a silvery background. In my garden these Brunnera grow less than a metre (a foot and a half) from the trunk of a maple. Their large leaves suppress the sprouting of the maple keys, which is an added bonus. After picking up a couple hundred maple keys, I often don’t bother with the ones under these perennials. The Brunnera are perfect plants for the shade garden.

Another white spring flower that has finished blooming is Sanguinaria canadensis f multiplex (double bloodroot). Which has many petals in a waterlily shape.

Lamprocapnos spectabilis 'Alba', formerly Dicentra spectabilis 'Alba', (bleeding heart)

Here the bleeding heart flowers are strung like miniature patio lanterns. There is such a wide variety of flower shapes that add interest if you are gardening in the shade. My little spring bulbs have faded away, but the woodland shade lovers have taken over, and their white flowers are like little lights under the trees. As I peer out the window for a final look at the garden in late evening, these luminous flowers still glow, illuminated by the last few rays.

Sanguinaria canadensis f. multiplex double bloodroot in May

I have both the single and double bloodroot in the garden, and appreciate each. However the Sanguinaria canadensis f. multiplex, the  double form, have an exquisite shape. In spring these give you dramatically beautiful blooms in the shade garden, with the white flowers showing up well in the shadowy areas. Although the flowers look exotic, they don’t mind a zone 3 winter.

Sanguinaria canadensis f. multiplex double bloodroot first buds poke from leaves

Here the Sanguinaria canadensis f. multiplex (double bloodroot) are just emerging from the soil in spring. Each beautiful flower bud rises up with a leaf curled around it. On the right you see the initial appearance, and on the left the leaf is starting to part.

Sanguinaria canadensis f. multiplex double bloodroot buds emerging above curled leaves

As the leaf uncurls more, the flowers rise up and unfold, so you begin to see hints of a the multitude of beautiful petals.

Sanguinaria canadensis f. multiplex double bloodroot white flowers

It seems that this perennial can be listed in different ways, and I sometimes see the double labelled as  ‘Flore Pleno’. Sanguinaria canadensis f. multiplex is extra generous with the petals, the exquisite flowers resembling waterlilies. The pure white colour really stands out against the background in the shade. I have two of these double bloodroots, and this year they have bloomed a week before the single version. The double forms are supposed to last much longer than the singles. However,  mine only lasted a little over a week, a brief but beautiful flowering. They are definitely worth finding space in your shady garden. I go out each day to admire the blooms, but the light colour can also be glimpsed from my windows.

Sanguinaria canadensis f. multiplex 3 double bloodroot white flowers

Bloodroots are native to the woodlands of Eastern Canada, but these are doing fine in the Parkland of Alberta. I have these planted in a very shady area, between the trees. There is a lot of decomposing leaf matter in this garden bed. Although these perennials are supposed to be ephemeral with the leaves fading back after spring, mine keep the foliage all summer, and their unique shape looks good. Perhaps the cooler summers help sustain the plants.

Sanguinaria canadensis f. multiplex leaf closeup

The Sanguinaria leaves are very decorative for a perennial that might hide away for the summer in some areas. The large flat leaves are deeply lobed and stiff, so they make a nice green foil for other plants in the garden. The bloodroot leaf above is looking shiny in the rain. The plants are about 18 cm  (7 in) tall, with the flowers about 23 cm (9 in) in height.

Here  are more pictures of Sanguinaria canadensis (single flowered bloodroot).

Even if you don’t have a woodland, the double bloodroot will do well under the shade of a tree, to bring a little part of the Eastern forest to your garden.

Sanguinaria canadensis f. multiplex closeup of double bloom