General Culture:
Easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in part shade to full shade. Prefers humusy, organically rich, moisture-retentive soils. Soil should not be allowed to dry out. Wet soils, particularly in winter, can be fatal, however. Removal of flower spikes after bloom will improve the appearance of the foliage mound. Foliage is semi-evergreen in the St. Louis area where the amount of retained foliage color in winter, if any, is in large part dependent upon the severity of the temperatures.
Noteworthy Characteristics:
‘Iron Butterfly’ is a rhizomatous, clump-forming hybrid foamflower that is noted for its attractive foliage and its spires of white flowers in spring. It is the result of a cross of two unnamed Tiarella seedlings. It forms a basal foliage mound of palmate, deeply cut, dark green leaves with black center blotches and black striping along the mid-veins of the finger-like lobes. The foliage mound typically grows 6-8” tall and 11” wide. White flowers bloom in spring in bottle-brush-like racemes atop erect, wiry, mostly leafless stems which rise above the foliage mound to a height of 16”. Tiarella is in the same family as and somewhat suggestive of Heuchera, Tellima and Mitella. Tiarella is sometimes commonly called false miterwort because of its similarity to Mitella (miterwort). U. S. Plant Patent PP12,396 was issued on February 5, 2002.
Problems:
No serious insect or disease problems.
Uses:
Shaded areas of rock gardens, woodland gardens, border fronts, naturalized plantings or moist areas along streams or ponds. Mass for an attractive ground cover.
© Missouri Botanical
Garden, 2001-2010
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