Fingerpaint Foamflower - 72-Cell Plug Tray

Fingerpaint is a native foamflower with bright green, deeply lobed leaves marked in the center with burgundy blotches, as if someone pressed a painted hand onto each one. The pointed lobes give the plant a lacy texture that lights up shade.

Ivory flower spikes rise just above the leaves in early spring. It is a semi-running type that forms a compact, dense mound with only modest spreading, a good fit for woodland beds, shaded borders and containers.

What it looks like

Slender, fluffy flower spikes 3 to 5 inches long of tiny star-shaped ivory flowers, held just above the foliage. Leaves are deeply lobed with sharply pointed edges, 3 to 4 inches long, bright green with a bold burgundy blotch at the center like a painted handprint, giving a lacy look. The plant forms a compact, dense, rounded mound about 9 inches tall and 12 inches wide, spreading slowly. At peak it looks like a bright green lace cushion dotted with ivory wands.

Growing it with lavender

Foamflower needs shade and moist, woodsy soil, so keep it away from the sunny lavender beds and plant it under trees, along a shaded walk or with hostas and ferns.

Care

Plant in part to full shade in humus-rich soil that stays evenly moist but drains well. Hardy in zones 4-9; remove faded flower stalks to tidy the plant, and add a layer of leaf mulch to keep the roots cool and moist.

At a glance

• Botanical name: Tiarella
• Flower color: Ivory
• Foliage: Bright green with burgundy center blotches
• Growth habit: Compact, dense, rounded mound
• Mature size: 9 in tall × 12 in wide
• USDA hardiness zones: 4–9
• Light: part sun to part shade, full shade
• Bloom start: Mid-April
• Peak bloom: Early-May
• Bloom pattern: Long Blooming
• Deer resistance: Moderately resistant
• Pollinator value: Good

Sizes and shipping

One full 72-cell plug tray: 72 young starter plugs of this variety (cells about 1⅓ in. wide × 2½ in. deep), rooted and ready to pot up into quarts or gallons. Best for growers and nurseries. Potted plants and plug trays ship during our live-plant seasons, March 1–May 31 and October 1–November 30; June through September is local pickup only. Plugs, potted plants and trays do not ship to AZ, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, UT or WA.