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Foamflower
In Spring the blooms of white frothy plums cover the landscape till midsummer. Six weeks of bloom time. Then this shade ground cover reveals the new growth of green, velvety leaves. In the Fall the leaves turn red, yellow, bronze and purple. A spectacular Fall display. The leaves will stay through the Winter.
You'll want to create a woodland setting of leaf mold, compost and peat moss in your shade garden. This combination will have a slight acid PH that is required. They do best in a moist well drained environment. Mulching with about 2 inches of shredded leaves will keep the roots cool and moist. Propagate in Spring by division. An alternative is separating the off sets and planting them in the same soil mix. There are hybrids available with pink, cream and deep rose flowers. The leaves are rather stunning also. Green with red to maroon veins and green with red centers. So go through your catalogs and find the right combination. When you do your gardening in the shade use plenty of rich humus compost and keep the soil moist and mulched. You'll be on your way to a beautiful ground cover under trees and shrubs as well as taller annuals and perennials.
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Foamflower in its natural setting is in a woodland wild flower. Growing in rich humus soil, it creeps along to provide a gorgeous ground cover. The leaves will grow to 6 inches, while the flower stem will reach 10 to 12 inches.
