Saxifrage: planting and care in the open field, description of varieties and species, reproduction

An unusual representative of the plant world - saxifrage. Its delicate small flowers look spectacular among stones and crevices. High vitality, unpretentiousness, durability makes the culture popular among gardeners. Knowing all the nuances and subtleties of planting and caring for saxifrage, you can easily decorate any area with these amazing flowers.

General description of saxifrage

Saxifrage is presented as a herbaceous perennial, the height of which ranges from 5 to 70 cm. Leaves of various shapes adorn the bushes. Appreciated by gardeners for foliage of a dark green color with a blue, silvery, bluish tinge.

Flowers of medium size, five-petalled, regular star-shaped. There are solitary, but often collected in small inflorescences in the form of a panicle. Pleases with long flowering of white, yellow, pink flowers.

Beginning of the growing season in April, and in the second decade of May, the plant begins to bloom, taking the form of a bright carpet. Stays in this outfit for about a month.

Popular varieties and varieties

The saxifrage family includes 200 species. Of these, the most popular are the following varieties.

• Soddy saxifrage. The flower is a dense turf of rosettes with dissected leaves. Flowering is short, only 3-4 weeks, which is observed in June.

Gardeners prefer the following varieties:

1. Rose-kenigen;
2. Flamingo;
3. Triumph;
4. Purplemantel.

• Arends' saxifrage. The flower pleases with a bright green color during the season. Its foliage forms a continuous carpet, the height of which is up to 15 cm. It fascinates with its flowering in late spring. Among the common varieties of Anders:

1. Sleeping Beauty;
2. Red Cap;
3. Peter Pan;
4. Saxifrage;
5. Snow carpet;
6. Floral Carpet;
7. Highlander.

• Saxifrage paniculata. The flower is valued for its bluish leaves, covered along the edge with white teeth of limescale, as well as beautiful rosettes 5-6 cm in diameter. Pleases with flowering in June, July. Varieties this species boasts:

1. Macocha;
2. Balcana minima.

• Saxifrage weave. It has round, hairy green leaves with light stripes. Forms a rosette from which many branches extend, which form new rosettes at the ends.
• Saxifrage round-leaved. The bushes have petiolate leaves in the shape of a circle. In early summer, arrows up to 40 cm long show white flowers, the petals of which are decorated with purple dots.
• Mossy saxifrage. The bush is distinguished by creeping shoots covered with oblong green leaves. The edges of the leaf plate are cut into thin strips, which is why the dense pillow looks like a thicket of moss. The plant is decorated with yellow-white flowers up to 6 cm in length.
• Shadow saxifrage. A bush up to 20 cm in height has whole green leaves in the shape of an oval, which are covered with purple stains.In July, paniculate inflorescences begin to bloom, which adorn white small flowers. Their core is purple. The most common forms of shady saxifrage will be:

1. Variegata;
2. Aurapunctate;
3. Elliotis Variet;
4. Purple Robe.

These varieties and cultivars of saxifrage can enhance the look of any yard.

Specific flower cultivation

In order for the saxifrage to attract attention with its high decorativeness, you need to properly land. This procedure will not cause difficulties even for beginner gardeners. The secret to successfully growing saxifrage is to create conditions that are as close as possible to their natural habitat.

Time and place

Saxifrage is a non-capricious culture, but when determining the landing site, it is important to take into account its natural preferences. When arranging a flower garden, you need to know that the flower loves shady places where it is protected from the scorching sun. Ideal if trees and shrubs grow nearby.

An important factor in the cultivation of saxifrage is good drainage. Stagnation of water can be detrimental to flowers, so you need to consider in advance where the perennial will grow. A good solution would be to plant a flower in crevices between stones or on a slope, while watering additionally during the dry season.

Saxifrage seedlings are advised to be planted in June, when the air and soil will have a temperature of 18-20 degrees.

Soil preparation

Saxifrage easily takes root on soils of medium fertility. But since it needs limestone, it is better to enrich the soil with crushed limestone. The ideal soil for culture should be equipped with substances such as gravel, clay, sand, peat, humus. Soil preparation also includes the addition of superphosphates along with organic matter. It is recommended to lay out a rock garden near the bushes, using stones, this will protect the roots from the sun and retain moisture.

Before planting, dig the soil, loosen, remove large stones. The day before planting seedlings, carry out moderate watering of the future flower bed.

Planting instructions

To plant a plant, you need to follow the following procedure:

1. Make holes at a distance of 10 cm.
2. Place seedlings in the center of the hole.
3. Fill the soil around the stem and tamp down a bit.
4. Pour around the edge of the hole.

The saxifrage will please with flowering a year later. In one place, a ground cover plant can grow for 5-6 years, then it needs to be transplanted.

Saxifrage Care

For flowers to attract attention with their decorative effect, you need to surround them with care.

Soil and fertilizers

Feed plants only with formulations containing minerals. The first time to fertilize after 7 days, then 2 times a month. Nutrients should be added to water when watering. At the time of flowering and in winter, stop feeding.

Water and humidity

Saxifrage requires moderately moist soil. When the soil dries out, the flower will die, so in dry weather it is recommended to spray the leaves. This will give the saxifrage a spectacular look.

Wintering

Saxifrage is characterized by resistance to frost, but young immature specimens of rare varieties are best covered for the winter. To do this, in the fall, before the first frosts, plantings need to be covered using dry foliage or spruce branches.

Disease and pest control

Saxifrage demonstrates resistance to diseases and pests. But with illiterate care, errors in watering and fertilizing, the crop can become vulnerable to infections and parasites.

Name Control measures Green aphidThe appearance of a sticky black coating on foliage, stems indicates the occurrence of aphids Spray bushes with insecticidesThrips

Sign
	Powdery mildew
	Appears as a powdery whitish coating		Removal of infected leaves and treatment of the plant with a systemic fungicide
Rust	The disease can be diagnosed by the appearance of formations of various shapes and sizes, but when they crack, a rust-colored powder is always poured out, which is a fungus spores		Treatment with a solution of soap and copper sulfate
Root rot	With excessive watering and poor quality drainage, the root system begins to rot		Removing rotten parts of the roots.For prevention purposes, treat with fungicidal agents
	The appearance of marble spots on the leaves. As a result, drying and twisting of the sheet plate
	Insects that feed on flowers and shoots. The appearance of small colorless spots on the leaves signals the invasion of thrips

Cultivation

You can breed a crop with seeds, dividing the bush and cuttings:

1. Growing from seeds. Sow in the spring, using special seedling boxes. Seed material should not be covered, but lightly sprinkled with sand. Cover by applying glass, building a miniature greenhouse. Shoots are formed in 2-3 weeks. A month later, the first true leaf will form. In open soil, sprouts can be planted when the rosette appears, this will mainly happen next spring.
2. Dividing the bush. To do this, select a powerful bush and disconnect additional sockets and shoots with roots and foliage, which are planted in the shade and irrigate and loosen the soil around them throughout the summer season. In the spring after wintering, plant the plants in a permanent place.
3. Propagation by cuttings. There are types of culture that form long side shoots in June. They need to be cut and planted in loose, moistened soil, shaded from above. During the summer period, the cuttings will take root and form medium-sized rosettes, which are covered for the winter using foliage.

With any breeding method, saxifrage blooms in the 2nd year after planting in a permanent place.

Possible growing difficulties

The only difficulty that gardeners have when breeding saxifrage is the loss of decorativeness due to overgrowth. Since the overgrown shoots lose their leaves, which are located closer to the ground and the soil is visible through them. Therefore, when caring for a crop, attention must be paid to updating the bushes and dividing them using cuttings. Also, so that the plant does not lose its decorative effect, faded flowers must be broken off together with the peduncle at the base of the turf.

Saxifrage in landscape design

The plant takes pride of place in landscape design due to its spectacular appearance, adaptability to any climatic conditions, the ability to be in the neighborhood of various flowering crops, low tree growth.

The saxifrage at the time of flowering will enliven the rockery and add zest to the rock garden. The attractiveness of the culture increases due to its good compatibility with many garden plants. A picturesque flower garden can be obtained by planting irises, muscari, and phlox next to the saxifrage. Tall species are best used as borders.

Following simple rules for planting and care, you can find an approach to this amazing flower. And he, feeling care, will begin to actively grow and develop, delighting with magnificent flowering.

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