Perennial of the Month-- May 2007 

(tea-ar-ELL-ee-ah) (pronunciation at link, turn up volume if too low)

Common name: Spring Symphony foam flower

Family: Saxifragaceae, Saxifrage

Height x width: 6-8" x 10-15"

Growth rate, habit: moderate, clumping or mounded 

Foliage: attractive deeply cut leaves with an average 5-7 narrow lobes or segments, some irregular teeth along edges, each with olive green margins and wide blackish centers, 3-4" across

Flowers: spikes in early summer (north) or  spring (south and west) held above foliage, with many small spidery florets on the flower spike opening from bottom to top, white in flower and pink in bud; very floriferous compared to many similar cultivars

Hardiness: USDA zones 3-9

Soil: moist, tolerates some drought once established

Light: part to full shade, tolerates morning sun, tolerates more sun in north if sufficient soil moisture

Pests and problems: none significant, good resistance to powdery mildew

Landscape habit, uses: shade gardens and borders, massed or along edges, shaded rock gardens; combines well with perennial vinca, lamium, interplanted with daffodils, purple-leaved coralbells, Japanese painted fern

Other interest: introduced by Terra Nova nurseries in 1997, from a cross of 'Pink Bouquet' as pollen parent with an unnamed seedling

Other culture: divide vigorous plants every 2-3 years, otherwise allow to grow; remove old unattractive leaves in spring as new growth emerges

Propagation: commercially from licensed propagators as patented; at home division of large plants  in early spring

Sources: specialty perennial nurseries local, mail order, and online, and complete garden centers