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funnthesun

Anyone grow Saxifraga Arendsii?

Any thoughts about this one? How easy to grow? I have a spot that I want something low-growing and it seems to reject difficult to grow plants in this spot. Don't want to put these there if they won't make it right off the bat. Doesn't seem to be a lot of info out there on this groundcover. I also see sites that say full sun and then part shade. Which is it? Thanks!

Comments (7)

  • gardenweed_z6a
    10 years ago

    I don't, but here's what Annie's Annuals' website says about it:

    "This cutie pie, evergreen, dense little mat is covered with small, fuchsia, cup-shaped flowers held upright on short, strong stems in May & June, just when your Spring bloomers are starting to fade. Very valuable in rock gardens, spilling over rock walls & as path edging. To 6â tall & 12â wide, they require part sun & moist, well-drained soil."

  • linaria_gw
    10 years ago

    We used to have it in our garden when I was a kid.
    Grew on heavy soil, at the foot of a tiny ornamental tree-let ( Prunus triloba) and formed a nice carpet.
    It grows slowly so it is not very competitiv and should not be crowded by larger neighbours.
    I reckon it is not really draughtresistant and does take wandering shade.

    What is the spot like in your garden, in what way is it difficult?

    IMO Saxifraga grow well if you meet their demands, so perhaps you start a test with 3 plants.
    Bye, Lin

  • Campanula UK Z8
    10 years ago

    I find the mossy saxifrages rather tricky, to be honest - they have a massive tendency to die our in the middle of each clump and even worse, seem to 'shed' great wodges of foliage for no apparent reason. My guess is that they need a long, dryish chilly winter, with a cool moist spring and definitely require some shading from intense summer heat.

    On the other hand, saxifrage fortuneii is practically immortal, indestructible and has delicate white blooms and lovely little sculptural leathery leaves like mini bergensias.

  • sunnyborders
    10 years ago

    I have, in the past.

    For edging, here, moss phlox and some aubrietia can be much longer lived.

  • Campanula UK Z8
    10 years ago

    Mind, I buy these little treasures for a couple of pounds each, every year, I fill a very old terracotta trough for around 10 quid (12 dollars or so) and have a cheerful welcoming every time I step outside my front door, for almost 3 months - I plant a hepatica and a little thyme, along with 2-3 saxifrages....for the cost of a bunch of flowers, I don't care if they are entirely annual.

    Sometimes do the same with lewisias too, and a couple of portulacas, for the summer.

  • funnthsun z7A - Southern VA
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I really don't know what the issue is in this area, it's a very small spot in the corner of my foundation bed and it LOVES to kill plants. Nothing seems to be happy there. It gets some afternoon sun in the hottest part of the day and is shaded in the am. Part sun plants don't seem to get enough sun there to bloom (creeping phlox), full sun plants don't make it, either. I have tried aubrieta (too hot here for that), candytuft - died, I think (still waiting to be sure), Veronica Goldwell (too soon to see anything for this year, but it was barely hanging on at the end of last year)--the list is very long what has been placed there over the years.

    The space is only about 3 ft x 3 ft. The rest of the bed is doing great, just this little corner is so annoying. I think part of it is that the water from the yard, when it rains, tends to collect within a foot of this area. If nothing comes back here from last year, I'm going to dig up the area and amend heavily and put a new soil mix here to get rid of whatever the problem is, if it's not drainage. I'll raise the corner a bit, too, so if it is drainage, maybe that will help with that. I can't very well regrade the yard, so raising will help, I hope.

    Anyone else have that annoying little spot that you just can't get anything to do well in? Unfortunately, mine is RIGHT beside my entryway, which makes it that much more frustrating.

  • ponyexpress_1
    10 years ago

    If it gets a lot of water, adding a bit more sand may help. As for the saxifagia, I have grown it in the past, it did great, but died over the winter. I would try it with pea gravel as a mulch to keep the crowns from rotting as it is best as a rock graden plant.