Saxifraga 'Balkan' (_marginata_ subsp. _marginata_ var. _rocheliana_) (7)

RHS Plant Profile
saxifrage 'Balkan'

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Alpine Rockery

A cushion-forming evergreen perennial, with rosettes of short, slightly recurving grey-green leaves. Produces abundant small, saucer-shaped white flowers, on short stems just above the foliage in spring

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

Up to 10 cm

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height
Up to 10 cm

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand
Moisture
Well–drained
pH
Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade
Aspect
East–facing or South–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
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 well drained, neutral to alkaline soil. Ideal in a rock garden or trough

Propagation

Propagate by seed or by division

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Gravel garden
  • Rock garden
  • Patio and container plants

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

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

Diseases

Generally disease-free