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Alpine Rockery

Saxifraga exarata (15)

furrowed saxifrage

A variable species of evergreen perennial alpine, forming low cushions or mats of rosettes of small, often lobed green leaves, sometimes furrowed on the upper surfaces. Flowering stems to 12cm high bear white, cream, yellow or sometimes reddish flowers in late spring and early summer

Synonyms

Saxifraga exarata subsp. adenophora

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Ultimate height

0.1–0.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.1–0.5 metres

Chalk

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or North–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Saxifragaceae
Native to the UK: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Matforming
Genus: Saxifraga can be annuals, biennials, evergreen or herbaceous perennials, mostly mat-forming in habit, with simple or palmately lobed leaves and starry or rounded flowers which may be solitary of in panicles or cymes
Name status: Correct
Horticultural Group: Saxifraga section saxifrages are mat-forming evergreen perennials with small, lobed leaves and 5-petalled white, pink, yellow or red flowers in small clusters on erect stems in late spring or early summer

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in moist but very well-drained soil, in bright filtered light or with shade from hot afternoon sun. Keep roots moist in summer but protect from excess winter wet. Ideal for a container or alpine house

Propagation

Propagate by seed, or by division, detaching individual rosettes and rooting as cuttings

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Patio and container plants
Rock garden
Conservatory and greenhouse
Garden edging

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, slugs, vine weevil, and glasshouse red spider mite

Diseases

Generally disease-free

Get involved

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