Saxifraga fortunei (5)

RHS Plant Profile
Fortune saxifrage

Synonyms

Saxifraga cortusifolia var. fortunei

Award of Garden Merit
Alpine Rockery Herbaceous Perennial

An herbaceous perennial to 40cm in height, with fleshy, rounded, lobed basal leaves to 10cm across, often reddish beneath. Flowers white, with short upper and 1-2 long lower petals, in large open panicles from late summer

Position

Full shade, Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height
0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full shade Partial shade
Aspect
West–facing or South–facing or North–facing or East–facing
Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness
H4

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Saxifragaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
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
Correct
Horticultural Group
Irregulares section saxifrages are shade-tolerant, usually herbaceous perennials forming rosettes broad, palmately lobed leaves, with leafless stems bearing lax panicles of small flowers with short upper, and longer lower petals, in summer or autumn
Plant Range
China, Japan, Korea

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in moist but well-drained soil in deep or partial shade. Suitable for a rock garden or border

Propagation

Propagate by seed or division of clumps

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Rock garden
  • Flower borders and beds
  • Underplanting of roses and shrubs

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

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

Diseases

Generally disease-free