English (United Kingdom) 
Russian (Russia) Saxifraga
Family. Saxifragaceae.
Where does it grow? The plant is native to Asia.
Description. Saxifraga is a large genus consisting of many evergreen, semi-evergreen or deciduous, perennial, biennial, and less commonly annual plants.
It is a rosette of small rounded leaves up to 5 cm in diameter. The leaves are mostly light green, sometimes with thin silver and purple veins on the underside.
The flower stalks are tall - up to 45 cm, sometimes branched, appear from the center of the leaf rosette, bearing numerous white, pink star-shaped flowers up to 3 cm in diameter at the top.
Over time, it often forms creeping shoots with miniature daughter rosettes.
Height. Grows quite slowly and rarely exceeds 5 - 8 cm.
Planting and care
Growing in open ground
Saxifrage is planted in a well-lit place in the morning and evening, but shaded from direct sunlight during the day.
Seeds are planted in open ground in the autumn months so that they do not have time to germinate before the onset of winter - when sowing in this way, the seeds will undergo a period of cold stratification naturally.
Before sowing, the seeds are disinfected for 1 - 2 days. Since the seeds are very small and it is not very convenient to sow them, then for uniform sowing they can be mixed with an equal share of river sand. The germination period in open ground can last up to 1 - 1.5 months.
When growing seedlings, seedlings are planted in open ground in the summer months.
Before planting in a permanent place of residence, the bushes are hardened by taking the containers outside for several hours during the day.
When planting, maintain a distance of about 10-30 cm between plants, depending on the selected variety.
The flower should not be placed under trees - fallen leaves falling on the clumps will lead to rotting.
In the first year of life, the saxifrage forms only leaf rosettes, but the first buds and flowers can be observed already in the second year.
Care in open ground consists of periodic weeding, watering and fertilizing.
Fertilizing is carried out 2-3 times during the entire growing season. Watering is carried out only when there is no rain for a month.
In order for the plants to successfully overwinter and not freeze, before the onset of winter they are covered with spruce branches, fallen leaves or non-woven material.
Also, for the winter, some varieties can be transplanted into a pot and brought into the house.
Some saxifrages, originating from cold countries, are able to endure winters in harsh climates without shelter.
Soil
It tolerates soils that are quite poor in nutrients - in its natural habitat it can grow on rocky slopes with a minimum content of nutrients in its composition.
For growing at home, a mixture of garden soil with leaf humus and coarse river sand is suitable; you should definitely add perlite to improve drainage.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to give recommendations on selecting the required pH - different types of saxifrage may prefer alkaline or acidic substrates.
Reproduction, growing from seeds
Saxifraga can be propagated by seeds, which are sown in the spring, lightly pressing them into the surface of the soil. Unfortunately, seed germination often leaves much to be desired and one should not place much hope on this method of propagation.
Before planting, the seeds must undergo stratification in a cool place for 1 - 2 months. Different varieties will require different stratification periods, and some may do without it at all. To undergo stratification, the seeds are placed in a regular refrigerator for this period of time, away from the freezer - for example, in the vegetable compartment.
- Sowing is carried out in a well-moistened substrate of peat and river sand in equal proportions.
- The seeds do not need to be sprinkled with soil or only lightly covered with a thin layer of river sand.
- Seedlings are placed in a warm place with bright lighting, but without direct sunlight.
- The crops are covered with glass or a plastic bag or a plastic cap to maintain uniform humidity.
- The first shoots can be noticed after 2 - 3 weeks - at this time the cover can be removed.
- Picking into separate small cups is carried out with the appearance of 2 - 4 true leaves.
Daughter rosettes form in abundance around adult specimens. Rooting occurs in a mixture of wet peat and sand and takes several weeks. The young plant blooms the following year.
Layering - young shoots are pinned to the soil and lightly sprinkled with earth - after a while, roots appear in the leaf nodes and new growth begins.
Adult clumps can be divided into several parts when replanting, ensuring that each part receives a well-formed root system. Using this method, you can rejuvenate plants.
Remember that you should not divide flowering bushes - they already spend a lot of energy on the formation of buds.
Some varieties can be propagated by stem cuttings - for this, shoots from 7 to 15 cm long are separated with a sharp sterile instrument.
The lower leaves are removed from the cuttings, and the bases are sprinkled with growth hormones.
Rooting is done in wet sand, in spring or summer, in a warm place.
Successful completion of the rooting process will be confirmed by the appearance of new stems and leaves.
Flowering time
Peduncles appear at the end of summer. The flowering period lasts about 3 weeks, with faded buds constantly being replaced by new ones.
How to transplant
If necessary, the saxifrage is replanted in the spring.
The bushes can be kept in one pot for several years, as they have a very modest root system and do not require a large amount of nutrients in the soil.
If the plant does not show signs of disease and is not affected by rot, then instead of replanting, you can use gentle transshipment, transferring it to a new pot together with the old lump of earth, without destroying it.
If the flower looks unhealthy, when replanting, clean the root system from old soil, inspect it and, if necessary, cut off old and diseased roots.
- For planting, select a shallow, wide bowl with large drainage holes.
- At the bottom of the pot, lay out a layer of drainage made of expanded clay or clay fragments.
- The plant is placed in the center of the container and sprinkled with fresh substrate in a circle, lightly tamping it with your fingertips.
- After transplantation, watering is stopped for several days so that the root system has time to get used to the new conditions and the damage it receives during transplantation does not rot when exposed to moisture.
- Remember that seedlings should not be exposed to direct sunlight - shade them for 7-10 days.
The first feeding after transplantation is carried out only after 4-6 weeks.
Diseases and pests
- Lack of flowering indicates a lack of nutrients.
- During the winter months, if the conditions are too warm, the shoots will become elongated due to lack of light.
- Brown spots appear on the surface of the leaves when overwatered - the plant may rot and die.
- Leaves may wilt if plants are exposed to direct sunlight for long periods of time, especially during daylight hours in spring and summer.
- Fungal diseases such as powdery mildew and rust manifest themselves at high air humidity, in a poorly ventilated area and insufficient drainage.
- Flowering will be less abundant or not at all if there is insufficient lighting and excess nutrients in the soil.
- Root rot will appear with insufficient drainage or excessive watering. It is especially important to monitor watering during the winter months.
- Some species may have bare lower stems without replanting or dividing them, and they will look like a bald spot in a thick carpet. Divide such specimens to rejuvenate them.
Among the pests, the plant is attacked by aphids, red spider mites, and mealybugs. When there is an invasion of mites, a thin cobweb appears on the bushes, almost invisible to the naked eye, and the leaf blades begin to turn yellow and fall off.
How to trim
Periodically, it is necessary to clean the saxifrage from dead old rosettes and damaged or yellowed leaves. You should also cut off the flower stalks with wilting flowers when growing in a pot.
In the warm season, put the pots in the fresh air, protecting them from strong gusts of wind, direct sunlight and heavy rains.
Conditions of maintenance - watering
Water until the earthen ball is completely soaked, but the top layer of soil should dry out between waterings to a depth of 2 - 3 cm. After flowering, gradually reduce the frequency of watering - let the soil dry almost completely before the next watering.
When watering, water should never get into the leaf rosette, otherwise the plant will rot - you can use the bottom watering method by immersing the pot in a container of water for a few minutes.
Saxifrage should be watered only with well-settled water at room temperature. You can also use melted, rain, filtered or even bottled water for watering.
When kept in a cool room in the winter months, water minimally - only to prevent the earthen lump from drying out.
Excess moisture that appears in the tray after watering is drained after a few minutes.
Remember that the flower tolerates short-term drought better than excess moisture in the substrate.
Temperature
Saxifraga prefers cool conditions at temperatures of 18 - 20 ° C in summer and 5 and 10 ° C in winter. With warmer conditions, air humidity and frequency of watering should be increased.
Variegated varieties are suitable for warmer conditions - in summer temperatures can rise to 20-25 °C; in winter months, such specimens are best not exposed to temperatures below 12 °C.
Lighting
With good lighting, the leaves will be brightly colored.
In the morning and evening hours, shoots and leaves can be in direct sunlight for 1-2 hours. On hot summer days, shading is necessary.
Varieties with variegated leaf blades require a brighter location.
The most successful for growing are considered to be western and eastern windows, where the samyxin plants will sunbathe in the morning or evening and will be protected from direct sunlight during the day.
If the plant is kept at normal room temperature throughout the year, then in the winter months it is necessary to organize additional lighting with fluorescent or phytolamps, since shoots growing in partial shade will look elongated and thin.
Fertilizer
Potted bushes have a limited feeding area and require additional fertilization. Regular fertilization with liquid mineral fertilizers for succulent plants is required once a month during the growing season.
The fertilizer can be diluted to half the dose recommended on the package, since representatives of this genus do not require a high content of nutrients in the soil.
In the winter months, the bush slows down its development and fertilization can be stopped until spring - it is resumed with the appearance of the first signs of new growth.
The nutrient solution is added to the soil only after abundant watering - this way the root system will not get burned when in contact with a too concentrated solution.
Fertilizers with a high nitrogen content should not be used for fertilization - this element will force succulents to abundantly grow green mass to the detriment of flowering.
Spraying
Spray the buds only when the ambient temperature is above 18° C. Spray only in the morning and only with well-settled water at room temperature.
Water should not fall on the buds and flowers - cover them with your hand.
Make sure that when growing indoors, the flower gets enough fresh air, but there are no cold drafts.
Instead of spraying, you can use a room humidifier or place a tray with wet pebbles or sphagnum moss nearby to increase the humidity.
In autumn and winter, do not place the pot near heating devices.
Purpose, beneficial properties
Looks good at home as a groundcover flowering perennial, it can be grown in hanging baskets - some species form attractive daughter rosettes on long stolons hanging from the edges of the pots.
Varieties with drooping shoots also look impressive as ampelous.
Saxifrage looks great and feels great when grown on alpine hills.
At home, this flower can hide the unsightly bases of large plants.
Small sizes will allow you to collect an impressive collection of varieties in a very limited area.
Some types of saxifrage have found application in medicine as antitumor and antiseptic agents.
Green leaves and stems are used in the treatment of diseases of the digestive organs, lungs and urinary system.
Note
Saxifraga can grow indefinitely in cultivation, but old specimens often lose their attractiveness and must be replaced with new plants.
Varieties of saxifrage:
Saxifraga arendsii
Saxifraga Arends is a group of 40 species of evergreen perennial plants that do not exceed 20 cm in height. Plants of this variety form attractive rosettes of small, dark green leaves and form a dense herbaceous mat with age. The flowers are pink, pink, red or white, solitary, rising above the leaves on leafless stalks. Flowering is very abundant and occurs in May - June.
Saxifraga stolonifera
An Asian ground cover, round-leaved plant, which is often grown at home as a hanging plant - in hanging flower pots. The plant has rounded dark green leaves, up to 10 cm in diameter, located on long petioles; branched veins are often highlighted in a lighter shade. The edges of the leaf blades have large denticles, the surface is covered with short pubescence. The plants form attractive stolons up to 90 cm long with miniature daughter rosettes that hang over the edges of the pots. During the flowering period, the plant forms tall leafless peduncles covered with fluff. At the top of the flower stalks are small interesting white flowers with 2 long and 3 short petals.
There are extremely beautiful variegated varieties with leaves colored burgundy, yellowish or pink.
Saxifraga paniculata
An evergreen perennial plant that forms a leaf rosette of oblong-oval, thick, green or bluish leaves. The rosettes are attractive in themselves and resemble flowers. Miniature daughter rosettes appear on long stolons. The peduncles are very tall, often branched, bearing at the top many small pinkish, yellow or white flowers. The flowering period is very long - it can last throughout the summer.
Saxifraga cespitosa
A plant with emerald green palmately dissected, soft leaves reminiscent of deer antlers. The erect flower stalks bear several attractive yellow, white, pink or greenish flowers each. All parts of the plant have sparse, attractive pubescence. The height of the plants does not exceed 15 cm. In nature, this species lives on the island of Spitsbergen and, accordingly, tolerates extreme conditions.
Saxifraga umbrosa
A perennial evergreen subspecies with fairly large leaf rosettes formed from dark green spoon-shaped leaves. During the flowering period, the plant produces very tall, thin peduncles with small pinkish flowers. Flowering is very abundant and long lasting - can last throughout the summer. Plants can reach a height of 35 cm.
Saxifraga hypnoides
Miniature, slowly growing bushes, not exceeding 10 cm in height, grow with age and form a very dense mat. Leaf rosettes consist of light green or reddish burgundy, attractive, repeatedly dissected leaves. The flowers are located on small strong peduncles, with 5 oblong-oval, white, greenish or yellow petals.
Saxifraga lingulata or Saxifraga callosa
A perennial, herbaceous, evergreen plant with a dense leaf rosette up to 60 cm high. The plants develop slowly, but with age they are able to form a very dense mat. Leaf rosettes consist of long, strap-shaped leaves that are dark green in color. The pubescent, erect flower stalks bear at the top several small white flowers, the petals of which often have purple dots on the surface.
Saxifraga oppositifolia
A perennial herbaceous plant, the leaf rosettes of which do not exceed 5 cm in height. The leaves, as the name suggests, are arranged in opposite pairs on abundantly branching, creeping, strong shoots, sessile, green, about 6 mm long. Peduncles are low, strong, covered with sparse pubescence. The plant gains real attractiveness in June - July, when fairly large pinkish or lilac flowers open.
Saxifraga nivalis
A perennial evergreen with glossy, dark green, spoon-shaped leaves arranged in a rosette at the base. The upper edge of the leaf blades has large teeth. Peduncles are tall, densely pubescent. The flowers have oblong-oval petals - pink on the outside and white on the inside.
