Tiarella cordifolia 'Running Tapestry' has many charms—its dissected, heart-shaped leaves are tinged with reddish-burgundy centers, and the delicate spikes of creamy white flowers rise above the foliage. Like its heartleaf foamflower parent, 'Running Tapestry' is mounding in habit and spreads by runners (stolons) to form a wide, beautiful stand. Excellent as a woodland groundcover, the leaves develop a reddish or burgundy tint as temperatures drop in fall and frosts begin. We love its visual texture, seasonal appeal, and woodland feel. It was discovered by Jim Plyler of Natural Landscapes Nursery in West Grove, PA.
Heartleaf foamflower grows well in average, medium, well-drained soil in part shade to full shade. It's happiest in humusy, organically rich, moisture-retentive soils and does not like dry conditions. Good drainage is important, as soggy winter soil can drag it down. Deadhead spent flower spikes to tidy up its appearance. Leaves are semi-evergreen, especially in warmer climates; remove spent leaves to keep it looking fresh and improve air circulation.
Space plants 12"-18" on center.
'Running Tapestry' can spread, and the closer spacing will provide tight, quick coverage. To give a looser feel, use 18" spacing.
Foamflower appreciates woodland companions like Chrysogonum virginianum (green and gold), Phlox stolonifera (creeping phlox), Dicentra cucullaria (Dutchman's breeches), Athyrium filix-femina (common ladyfern), Adiantum pedatum (northern maidenhair), Aquilegia canadensis (columbine), Carex albicans (whitetinge sedge), Carex plantaginea (plantainleaf sedge), and Heuchera americana (American alumroot).
Tiarella cordifolia and its cultivars provide early season forage for pollinators, while deer and rabbit tend to pass them by. The genus name is the diminuative of the Greek tiara (a small crown), referring to the fruit. The specific epithet, cordifolia, refers to the heart-shaped leaves.
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Shipping is free on all plants orders!
Your plants will ship using each grower’s preferred method: FedEx Ground, UPS Ground, or Spee-Dee Ground (in select midwestern states). Our growers ship orders Monday through Wednesday. The farther your plants need to travel, the earlier in the week they will ship. The goal is to have all plants delivered by the end of the week.
Shipping plugs:
Plugs are shipped in full flats, sometimes also referred to as trays. Multiple flats can be shipped in a single box. The flats are wrapped in netting or craft paper to secure the plants, and spacers are used between flats to keep the plants from being crushed.
When you unpack your plugs, the plants will have been somewhat flattened by the netting or craft paper. They will straighten out within a couple of days. You may also gently “fluff” them a bit to speed up the process. In some cases, your plants might have been cut back before packing, if the grower deemed them to have become too tall for safe packaging. Don’t worry, though, these guys know what they’re doing and would not compromise the health of the plants. They’ll fill back in in no time.
After receiving your plants’ journey in a dark box, it will be important to acclimate them to sunlight again. Over a couple of days, you should gradually move them into their preferred light exposure, and water them as per their requirement.
Although we always recommend putting your plants in the ground as soon as possible, they can stay healthy in the flats for a considerable amount of time. The key is to respect their growing requirements: if the species requires full sun, do not store them in the shade. If it is best adapted to dry soil, do not over-water.
Planting plugs:
We consider plugs ready to ship when the plants’ roots have filled the entire liner cell and the plants can easily be pulled out. In some cases you will have to go about it gently, wiggling the plant by the crown, and possibly squeezing the bottom of the liner to compress the growing medium and release the roots. Other times, the plants will appear to be root bound. They are not in the traditional sense. The plants are healthy but they have used up all the growing medium available to them. Plugs are at an aggressive stage of growth. As soon as planted the roots will immediately expand into your native soil. They establish faster than plants in larger containers, because they don’t have the luxury of a lot of growing media that can inhibit the roots from venturing outside of their comfort zone.
We are not going to address area preparation because the process can be complex and is always site-specific. However, as a rule, we recommend disturbing the soil as little as possible, and we do not recommend amending the soil. If you chose the right plant for the right conditions they will thrive. Any disturbance and amendments will only encourage weeds to emerge that never had a chance to do so before.
Installing plugs cannot be easier: dig a hole large enough for the roots to fit snugly inside, then water them in to eliminate air gaps. We recommend using a soil knife, sometimes referred to as hori hori, or a drill-adapted auger if it’s a large installation. If you use an auger, you will need a powerful drill. Depending on the size of the project and the type of soil, the process can be beyond what an average drill will bear. Mulching is recommended after installation to help keep weeds down while the plants establish. Be sure to keep it away from the crown of the plants. For large projects, you may want to mulch the area before planting, rather than tiptoeing through it after the fact. As a side note: if you are installing plugs in the fall, you might want to plant them so that the crown is about ¾” lower than the surrounding soil. The winter’s freeze/thaw cycles can push plugs out if the roots did not have enough time to establish and anchor them in.