Tiarella
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Kiss the Earth
Tiarella
This is another plant from Ann Stookey's garden in Chestnut Hill, and it illustrates perfectly her interest in filling her extensive beds with green plants that have rich color or unusual markings or texture. It's a tiarella. Ann chose it for the green of its leaves and the outstanding burgandy veins. She never mentioned the flower! In fact, with other plants she's chosen for their foliage, she actually clips the flowers off, especially yellow or red ones. Now red is the acknowledged bad boy in garden design. You either love it or hate it, and a lot of gardeners hate it. (Some brave souls use it to punch up a section of the garden, then add complementary or contrasting colors.) Yellow may be another story, although lately I've met more than a few gardeners who avoid it for the same reason Ann does. It's bright. It can be jarring. She likes the smootheness of green, what she calls the "zen" of green. Tiarella is definitely in and of that "zen" moment.
