Saxifraga 'Wisley' (_federici-augusti_ subsp. _grisebachii_) (7)

Dorling Kindersley 2003

Synonyms

Saxifraga grisebachii 'Wisley Var.'
Saxifraga 'Wisley Red'
Saxifraga grisebachii 'Wisley'
Saxifraga 'Wisley' (_grisebachii_)
Saxifraga 'Wisley Variety' (_grisebachii_)

Alpine Rockery

An evergreen perennial with rosettes of narrow grey-green leaves and leafy red-haired stems to 12cm, bearing racemes of small, bright purplish-red flowers in late spring

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk

Max Height

Up to 10 cm

Max Spread

0-0.1 metre

Size

Time to Maturity: 2–5 years
Max Spread: 0-0.1 metre
Max Height: Up to 10 cm

Growing Conditions

Chalk

Moisture: Well–drained
pH: Alkaline

Position

Full sun

Aspect: East–facing or South–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): H5

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Saxifragaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Clump forming
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: Accepted
Horticultural Group

Horticultural Classification Codes

Horticultural Classification Codes are often given to genera which have a large number of species or cultivars. They are used to categorise cultivated plants based on specific, shared characteristics such as shape, colour, size or flowering time, and can be displayed as letters or numbers

For example:
Dahlia ‘Sunset Kate (Sin) = Single flower
Rosa ‘Marigold’ (HT) = Hybrid Tea: Porphyrion section saxifrages are compact, cushion or mat-forming evergreen perennials with small, usually lime-encrusted leaves, and 5-petalled white, yellow or pink flowers in early summer

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in moderately fertile, very sharply drained, alkaline soil in full sun

Propagation

Propagate by detaching rosettes and rooting as cuttings in late spring or early summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Gravel garden
Patio and container plants
Rock garden
Mediterranean climate plants

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

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

Diseases

Generally disease-free