Overview
Tiarella 'Sugar and Spice' is a standout variety of Foamflower that offers a striking combination of vibrant springtime blooms and beautifully patterned foliage. Perfect for everyday gardeners, this hardy perennial is ideally suited to shaded borders, woodland gardens, or containers where its finely detailed leaves and fragrant flower spikes can shine. With year-round interest and low-maintenance appeal, ‘Sugar and Spice’ is both a decorative and practical addition to the garden.
Botanical Name: Tiarella cordifolia 'Sugar and Spice'
Common Name: Foamflower
Flower Colour: Bright white with a soft pink blush, borne on slender, upright spikes
Foliage: Deep green, deeply lobed leaves with striking dark burgundy veining; semi-evergreen in milder areas
Height: 40cm (1.3ft)
Spread: 30cm (1ft)
Flowering Period: April to June, sometimes with a second flush in autumn
Hardiness: Hardy in the UK down to temperatures of -20 degrees Celcius (RHS hardiness rating H7)
Why Grow Tiarella 'Sugar and Spice'?
This variety is particularly admired for its combination of attractive, long-lasting foliage and a generous flush of starry, scented flower spikes in spring. The foliage alone provides year-round texture and interest, even when not in bloom. ‘Sugar and Spice’ is an ideal choice for gardeners looking for reliable ground cover in shade with an added dose of elegance.
Sunlight: Best grown in partial to full shade; protect from hot midday sun
Potted: grown in pots can be planted at any time of the year providing the ground is not frozen or waterlogged
Soil: Prefers moist, well-drained soil enriched with organic matter
Watering: Keep soil consistently moist, especially in dry spells
Feeding: Apply a mulch of compost or leaf mould in early spring to nourish roots and improve soil
Care and Maintenance
Tiarella 'Sugar and Spice' is easy to care for. Trim off spent flower stalks to maintain tidiness and possibly encourage a second flowering later in the year. The plant may spread slowly over time, forming attractive clumps. In colder areas, foliage may die back in winter, but new growth will emerge in spring. Divide clumps every few years in early spring or autumn if they become congested.
Pollinator Friendly
The sweetly scented flowers are particularly attractive to early-season bees and other pollinators, offering valuable nectar at a time when food sources can be scarce. This makes it a lovely addition to any pollinator-friendly planting scheme.
Ground cover for shaded borders and woodland gardens
Edging paths or beds in shady areas
Underplanting for trees, shrubs, or larger perennials
Containers and hanging baskets in shaded locations
Wildlife-friendly and low-maintenance planting schemes
Companion Planting Suggestions
Works beautifully alongside other shade lovers such as hostas, heucheras, brunnera, ferns, and epimediums. For a tapestry of foliage colour and texture, mix with contrasting leaf shapes and tones for a vibrant, layered display.
Tiarella 'Sugar and Spice' is a graceful and rewarding perennial that adds soft spring charm and reliable foliage interest to shaded spaces. With its ease of care, fragrant flowers, and ability to attract pollinators, it's a smart and stylish choice for gardeners of all levels looking to enhance their shade garden with beauty and purpose.
Buying Perennials from Jacksons Nurseries
At Jacksons Nurseries we lightly trim back our perennials after flowering and trim them back at the end of the season to ensure that the plants remain neat and tidy whilst in the pot. The more tender the plant the less we cut back to help protect exposed stems from winter frost. Depending on the plant variety we will then prune back further in spring once the risk of the more severe frosts is over.
As a result, depending on the time of year you buy perennials, they may not look like images showing their ‘prime time’ in flower and looking at their best.
From late autumn onwards and dependent on variety, there may be very little visible above the soil except for a few cut back dormant leaves or stems. It is perfectly normal for dormant plants to look like this from autumn onwards, they will however burst back into life in spring.
Availability: Stock availability figures are provided as a guide only. There is a delay between orders being placed and the plants being gathered by our pulling team. During this time it may be possible for a member of the public to purchase these plants from our Garden Centre, while this is rare it is a possibility and we will notify you of any problems as soon as possible. This figure may also include plants that have not yet be flagged as unsaleable.
Pre-order: Pre-order times are given as a guide only and may vary dependent on the growing season. Orders containing Pre-ordered products will be shipped as a single order when all items become available. Large orders may be part shipped, please contact us on 01782 502741 or email sales@jacksonsnurseries.co.uk.
Perennials are described and classified differently by different gardeners but all would agree that they are plants that come into flower every year from early spring to late summer, the exact time dependent on variety and most die back to ground level in autumn and winter.
As for all plants, soil preparation is time well spent. Dig over the area to be planted ensuring that the ground is free draining. If not then you may wish to either consider planting in a different spot or raising the level of the planting area by adding additional topsoil, well rotted garden compost and/or well rotted manure. Add ‘Fish, Blood and Bone’ fertiliser or a high potash fertiliser to encourage good root growth and development.
It’s always a good idea to plant a few of the same plant together, we recommend planting in 3’s or 5’s to provide a bold effect but allowing them plenty of room to develop.
Always check eventual plant heights when planning borders to ensure that the taller plants are at the back (or at the centre of an island bed) followed by the medium and then smaller low growing plants.
Remember to deadhead perennials after flowering, trim back lightly in autumn as required to tidy the border and if necessary trim again in spring once the risk of heavy frost has passed.
If perennials get too big, start to flower less and less or if it seems to be dying off from the centre, consider dividing the plant but always check that the particular variety is happy to be divided and that you divide at the right time of year for the plant.
By using this simple guide and a little time, perennials can make an absolutely spectacular difference to your garden.
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