By David Wall
There are many flowers requiring full sun, but most of us have shaded spots where we would like to plant something, anything. The Tiarella flower, known as the pink skyrocket or pink skyrocket foamflower, might be just the thing. Nurseries probably won’t have it, but you can order seeds. Just Google Tiarella, and you’ll find numerous seed sources.
There are two basic types of Tiarella. One spreads fairly rapidly, and the other forms dense clumps. In our area, Tiarellas are an evergreen, as they can thrive (not as an evergreen) down to zone 3, and tolerate the heat in our zone 8 summers. After a hard freeze, the green foliage may turn burgundy, but will green back up in early spring. Leaves are 3-4″ wide and heart-shaped with black variegations along the leaf veins.
The flowers are what gives it the name pink skyrocket. The flower isn’t tall, but is very showy, and it’s one of the heaviest flowering plants around. Stems grow to about 12″, and are covered 360° with tiny flowers. The stems and flower buds are pink, which gives it the “skyrocket” part of its nickname, and the white flowers on the stem provide the “foamflower” part.
Tiarellas like good soil with adequate water and with both, will grow and flourish. Without sufficient water, it will just sit there in a clump. In winter, make sure it doesn’t stay wet, as this condition causes plant losses.
Plants are usually 12″ tall and wide. Under good conditions, it will spread. Finally, insects and diseases don’t seem to bother it. Start the seeds in a container and transfer to your yard in the spring. Water weekly until it is established.
The pink skyrocket can be a welcome addition to your flower garden, along borders, and elsewhere in your yard.
Word count = 300
Great analogy