Livelong saxifrage

Livelong saxifrage: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Small rosettes forming a dense cushion over the years, about 20 cm tall in flower and 20 cm wide.

Foliage

Narrow, spoon- to tongue-shaped, leathery, with a toothed edge crusted with white lime; grey-green.

Flower

Loose sprays of creamy-white flowers, sometimes finely spotted with red, on an upright stem, from May to June.

Roots

Shallow and fine; it needs good drainage and dislikes wet soil in winter.

Flowering: May–June · Plants: March–April and September · Pruning: June–July

Why grow it?

• Evergreen, silvery rosettes that decorate all year, even in winter.
• Drought-tolerant and content with poor, stony soil.
• Perfect for a rock garden, trough, wall crevice or gravel bed.
• Compact (about 20 cm tall and wide) and easy to combine.
• Very hardy, down to about −30 °C.

Livelong saxifrage: where does it grow best?

• Full sun to light partial shade; the more light, the more compact the rosettes.
• Sandy or loamy soil, neutral to chalky, poor and stony.
• Dry to moderately moist, but never standing water, especially in winter.
• Allow 15–20 cm per plant; ideal in a trough, wall crevice or between stones.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Dry

Size

0.2 m tall, 0.2 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -30 °C)

Goes well with

• Rock pink: Dianthus flowers in the same dry sun.
• Stonecrop: Sedum in the same poor soil.
• Houseleek: Sempervivum with colourful rosettes alongside.
• Creeping thyme: Low, fragrant ground cover for the same sunny gravel.

Livelong saxifrage: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and September.

1. Plant in March–April or in September, when the soil is not frozen or waterlogged.
2. Mix plenty of coarse grit or coarse sand into the soil so that water drains well; heavy soil is unsuitable.
3. Set the rosette at the same depth as in its pot and do not bury the heart.
4. Leave 15–20 cm between plants.
5. Water a little after planting, then only in a prolonged dry spell.
6. Spread a layer of fine gravel around the rosettes so that the neck stays dry.

Care

Water

Rarely needed; in a trough give a little water in a prolonged dry spell.

Feeding

Not needed. Soil that is too rich gives loose, weak rosettes.

Mulching

Fine gravel around the rosettes keeps the neck dry; no compost or leaves.

Spent flower stems

Cut them off at the base after flowering.

Tidying

Remove fallen leaves and weeds from around the rosettes; otherwise they can rot.

Tip: Mix plenty of coarse grit into the soil when planting and spread gravel around the rosettes: they stay dry and the lime crusts show off nicely.

Livelong saxifrage: when to prune it?

Pruning months: June–July.

When: After flowering, in June–July.

How:

• Cut the spent flower stems off at the base.
• Do not cut into the healthy rosettes themselves.
• In March, carefully remove brown, dead rosettes.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Offset rosettes

In June–July after flowering, detach offset rosettes with roots and plant them in sandy soil, or root them first in a pot with gritty compost.

Seed

In autumn, scatter the fine seed on the surface of sandy seed compost and leave the tray outdoors; the cold helps germination.

Livelong saxifrage: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −30 °C.

• Very hardy, down to about −30 °C: no protection is needed in Belgian winters.
• The danger is wet soil in winter, not frost: ensure good drainage and a layer of gravel.
• In a trough or pot: tilt it or stand it on pot feet so that rainwater drains away.

Diseases and pests

• Rot from wet feet: Rosettes become soft or black. Improve drainage with grit and choose a sunny spot.
• Stretched, loose rosettes: Too little light or soil that is too rich. Move to more sun and poorer soil.
• Vine weevil: The grubs eat the roots: rosettes wilt and come loose. Biological nematodes in the soil help.
• Smothering: Fallen leaves or encroaching neighbours smother the rosettes. Remove them regularly.

Through the year

• March: Plant. Clear dead rosettes.
• April: Plant. Fine gravel around the rosettes.
• May: Flowering begins.
• June: In flower. Cut off spent stems.
• July: Cut off stems. Detach offset rosettes.
• August: Water only in a prolonged dry spell.
• September: Plant. Sow.
• October: Clear fallen leaves off the rosettes.
• November: Evergreen; nothing to do.
• December: Dormant.

Did you know?

• The white crusts on the leaf edges are lime that the plant secretes itself through tiny pores; they are not dirt or disease.
• The species used to be called Saxifraga aizoon: aizoon comes from Greek and means ‘always living’.