Saxifraga umbrosa (11)

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true London pride

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Other common names

king's feather, leaf of St Patrick, look-up-and-kiss-me, mignonette of the French, Nancy-pretty, prattling Parnell, Pyrenean saxifrage, sailor plant, St Anne's needlework, St Patrick's cabbage, whimsey, kiss-me-quick, none-so-pretty

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A spreading mat of loose rosettes composed of evergreen, spoon-shaped leaves with lobed edges. Flower stems reach 30cm and carry large numbers of small, starry, white blooms in summer

Position

Full shade, Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0.5-1 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
0.5-1 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
East–facing or South–facing or North–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Exposed or 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
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

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

Gymnopera section saxifrages are perennials forming rosettes of evergreen leaves, with leafless stems bearing panicles of small, 5-petalled flowers
Plant Range
Pyrenees

How to Grow

Cultivation

Easy to grow in any type of soil or situation but ideal for deep or partial shade

Propagation

Propagate by seed, sown in containers in an open frame in autumn, or detach rosettes and root as cuttings

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Coastal
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Patio and container plants
  • Rock garden
  • Garden edging
  • Ground cover
  • Flower borders and beds

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

Aphids, vine weevil, slugs and snails may be a problem

Diseases

Generally disease-free