Saxifrage - unpretentious flower, it feels great in rocky ground. In the world there are more than 400 varieties of this plant, distributed mainly in the temperate climatic zone. Some species have crept up to the Arctic.
Due to the variety and endurance of the saxifrage, it can decorate both the garden and the balcony. It enriches urban landscapes, and some of its species are used in medicine.
Following simple rules of care, you can decorate any place with a stone-breaking
Appearance and classification of the saxifrage
Most flowers of the Kamnelomkov family are stunted perennials, although there are one-two-year-old species, there is also a variety growing up to 70 cm.
Plants form solid bushes with rosettes folded from massive rounded leaves. The stems mainly grow up to 50 cm in height, the leaves take a slightly elongated shape, mostly they are dark and gray-green in color.
For reference: bluish tones may occur due to the plant’s love for lime, certain species have variegated leaves.
Saxifrage produces several flower stems from each outlet; its flowers usually consist of 5 petals. They vary in color depending on the representative of the family.
Some common varieties
Picture 2 Arends Variety is popular among gardeners for its beauty and undemanding
Arends's frost-resistant saxifrages are used for garden beds, forming sod islands no more than 20 cm high. Its small, graceful leaves are covered with thin stripes, flowering begins in late spring and early summer.
The plant is divided into such subspecies as:
- Purple with flowers and stems bearing their respective colors, yellow flower core.
- Flamingo, pleasing with its light pink bloom.
- The saxifrage is white - this is the color of the intermittent bluebells produced by it, the turf itself is dark green and low.
- Red Arends, with bright colors and the lowest growth (grows up to 15 cm).
Mossy Saxifrage
Creeping and branching shoots of Saxifrage mossy, densely covered with saturated light green foliage, grow very closely, which is why it is similar to moss growth. In the summer, white-yellow buds bloom on stems rising about 6 cm from the moss.
Places chosen by shady saxifrages justify its name
The undersized saxifrage shade does not need intensive lighting, its uneven oval leaves with a pinkish-purple lower part retain a saturated green color all year round. In July, purple inflorescences, bordered by white petals, bloom.
Wicker saxifrage is one of the most beautiful representatives of the family
The natural habitat of the saxifrage wicker is the moist slopes of the Chinese and Japanese mountains. This ampel perennial, also called a beard, spider or Venusian hair, gains up to 50 cm of growth. Its filamentous lashes release roots as they spread.
Wicker saxifrage can grow in both home and garden environments. The roundish foliage, streaked with white top and red bottom veins, bristles along the edges. This species stands out with a red mustache, its white or red flowers of complex shape pleasing to the eye from May to August.
Edges of the leaves of the saxifrage paniculata white from the protruding salts
A panicled saxifrage climbs through granite and limestone mountains; it grows in North America, Europe and the Caucasus. The height of the cover of its close-knit thickets does not exceed 8 cm. The narrow gray-and blue-green leaves begin at the roots and are very sharp, and the flowers appearing in late spring and early summer can be white, as well as red and pale yellow.
The small flowering of the Saxifrage of the sulphurus is compensated by its spreading gray-green turf
Sodstone saxifrage is common in Canada, the United States, and the northern regions of Eurasia; its dark green leafy rosettes form along with copiously branching shoots immediately from the roots. Streaks are more visible on the lower leaves, the plant blooms for about three weeks. This saxifrage is pink, white or red; the flowering season begins in June-July.
It is interesting: some West Slavic legends feature a grass gap, which has a reputation as a universal remedy against castles, damage from iron weapons, and even stone walls.
The saxifraga saxifrages, whose name comes from the Latin words saxum - "mountain" and fragere - "break", got it for its habitat. It grows mainly in the rocks, gradually destroying the hillside on which it settled. Despite this peculiarity, places with the wind deposited on the rocks prevail among the areas of saxifrage growth.
Saxifrage Care Features
For beginners, a roombreaker is perfect.
The undemanding nature of most species of this plant allows it to be placed in northern rooms and rooms with moderate access to sunlight. Bright lighting can make the plant pale and cause disease.
This flower prefers a dry and cool environment, it has massive leaves and generously releases a mustache. Saxifraga bush, species of which like rare watering, soil with a plentiful amount of sand, and look good next to petunias.
Recommended temperature
In the spring-autumn period, temperatures acceptable for saxifrage vary in the region from 20 to 25 ° С. In winter, the plant will arrange 12-15 ° C, its subspecies with variegated leaves will need from 15 to 18 ° C.
Lighting
The flower can be planted at the shady sides of the window, the western and eastern sides of the house are the best option. North sides are also allowed, but when placed on the south side, the saxifrage will need to be protected from direct sunlight.
Direct sunlight is unacceptable
Fresh air stimulates its growth, which is why it is often placed on the summer balcony. Intense lighting is harmful, but lack of sunlight can also cause fading. In the outdoor garden, the plant is planted in the shade.
Watering
Applied settled water at room temperature. You can not allow the soil to be oversaturated with moisture, this leads to rotting of the roots. Drying of the soil is also unacceptable.
From the beginning of spring to the end of autumn, a house plant is watered no earlier than the drying of the upper soil layer to a thickness of 2-3 cm, this is about 2 times a week. When located outdoors, rainfall should be considered.
For the winter period, the irrigation schedule is once every 8-12 days. Water should not accumulate in leaf sockets, this can also contribute to decay, and therefore the pallet will be the best way to water. He should feed the pot only until the soil is completely moist.
Spraying
Saxifrage should be sprayed with the same water as for irrigation. Infrequent spraying is carried out in the spring and summer. With dry air in the apartment, it is occasionally carried out in the winter.
Humidity
In winter, it is not recommended to keep the plant next to radiators or radiators, but wet things can be dried on adjacent batteries to increase humidity.
Despite its love of moisture, the saxifrage feels great in a dry climate, while frequent spraying can do much harm.
Additional Information. The humidity is increased by the content of expanded clay, moss or pebbles in the pan; another way to moisten a room is to place vessels with water in a pot.
The soil
This flower is adapted to receive nutrients from meager mountainous areas and rocks, which is why ordinary soil is not suitable for it. Ideal for a saxifrage would be a combination of garden or greenhouse land, crushed gravel, lime, peat and sand.
All this is enough in the same amount, with the exception of gravel, a handful of which is enough for a volume of 5 liters.
Top dressing
Soil enrichment is carried out in summer, winter and spring with a fertilizer solution diluted in water.
In winter, top dressing is performed once every one and a half to two months, the rest of the time every two weeks.
Note! With a lack of nutrients, sprouts sprout randomly, and leafy bases lengthen. Too much increases the risk of fungal diseases.
Winter Saxifrager Care
In winter, the flower is at rest.
The low activity of the saxifrage in winter is explained by its adaptability to weather conditions
Control over humidity, temperature and fertilizers should be observed, the conditions of which are common to most species.
Those that can grow outside the house and at the same time are in the open garden, you do not need to water and fertilize in the winter. Before the onset of cold weather and snowfalls, moderate mulching is necessary, the saxifrage is covered with grass.
Flowering features
These flowers are very diverse in shape, color and size, providing a wide selection of enthusiastic flower growers. For example, a shady saxifraga produces small delicate pink inflorescences, whereas in the deciduous, the flowers are saturated pink and large, becoming lilac over time.
Types of flowers
Saxifrages bloom in colors such as:
- white,
- red,
- lilac,
- purple,
- yellow,
- pink.
Additional Information: Certain varieties gradually change color. There are also two-tone and variegated flowers, inflorescences of some species are painted with colored spots.
What are the shapes of flowers
Among the saxifrage flowers, flowers of five short oblong-rounded petals prevail.
There are four-lobed, but this is a great rarity not inherent in any particular variety. Common forms on a smaller scale are bells and such complex structures as the wicker species.
When does flowering take place?
Flowering begins in late spring and early summer; some weather-oriented species may bloom in July.
The beginning of the formation of inflorescences occurs at the end of spring of the second year, they grow in the form of loose panicles. For the first time, there may be a small number of flowers.
Some varieties bloom in the fall, but mostly flowering time is from three weeks to the end of summer. After it, the peduncles remain stuck, so they are usually pruned.
Flowering care
At this time, the saxifrage does not need any additional care besides the usual spring-summer care. For a more orderly flowering, panicles are sometimes trimmed.
Breeding
Saxifrage planting and care of which is available to the grower of any skill level, propagates according to certain rules.
The usual vegetative method may not give a result. The saxifrage plant propagates through cuttings, seeds, layering and dividing rosettes. All these methods are practiced either in early spring or in November. Seeds in this case will germinate in the spring. Other methods should be planted in the fall with the expectation that the flowers have time to release the roots before frost and snow.
Seed germination
Most often, a saxifrage for planting and care in the open ground, as well as for indoor conditions, is sown indoors. In spring, sprouts can be planted in the garden.
In the home version, the seeds are stratified by mixing them with sand and placing the container in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. The soil is slightly compacted, covered with the contents of the seed container and watered.
Then the container should be covered - the greenhouse effect stimulates seedlings. They will appear in 10 days, after they acquire 4 leaves, the sprouts are planted separately. In the first few days, they should receive moderate watering.
Sowing indoors is more convenient and efficient
When planting in an outdoor garden, the next step will be soil preparation. It should be done only when it is warm enough. For a future flower bed, a layer of soil suitable for saxifrage is applied from 20 to 30 cm in thickness. The planted seedlings must be pre-watered again, and the soil loosens at the planting points, where recesses are also made for the seedlings with an interval of 20 cm of distance between them. After landing, these places are tamped a little, their first watering is carried out in about a week.
When sowing directly into the garden, the seed should be disinfected in a potassium permanganate diluted with water for a couple of days. Other fungicides are also suitable. The disinfected seeds are dried, sand is added to them, then the special soil already applied to ordinary soil is furrowed by 1.5 cm. The seeds are planted, covered and watered.
Note! This is not the most effective method. If nothing has come up within a month after spring sowing, you can plant or sow other plants.
Rooting cuttings
Cutting time for cuttings is late July. They should be 7 to 15 cm long.
The shoot is cut below the knot in flowers from two years with a sharp blade. Its lower leaves are removed, while the cut is immersed for several seconds in the diluted phytohormone.
Planting capacity is filled with wet sand. Before planting, treatment with charcoal powder is recommended. When the seedlings take root, they are planted separately, or left in the sand until spring planting in the garden. In this case, permissible cool temperatures and dim lighting will be required.
Bushes division
This is the most common method. Plant sections that appeared in spring branching, in July, are separated with their roots from the main bush by a sharp blade. Slices are processed with wood ash, a fungicide rosette, then a young saxifrage is planted in suitable soil. Around it should be at least 20 cm in diameter. Planting in the garden should be carried out no earlier than spring. The first flowers can be expected next season.
Layering
Picture 11 Cuttings are used to spread shrub cover.
Note! The second most popular method of reproduction is layering - this is the simplest method.
Under new young shoots, which have grown far away, in July small grooves are made in the ground, watered, after which a sprout is fixed with a light handful of soil.
It should be watered according to the standard schedule without an excess in case of rainfall in the garden. The roots are released in the fall, but the flower does not separate earlier than spring. The slice is treated with wood ash, then the saxifrage from the lay is transplanted to its new place.
Transplant and pick
The saxifrage quickly spreads through the space available to it, having occupied which it focuses its forces on flowering.
A transplant is required only when the roots completely occupy the tank with soil or when the plant is renewed, for which July is a good time.
In this case, recommendations for reproduction by dividing the bushes are carried out, and with a simple transplant, which is best done in early spring, it will be enough to fill the low pot with drainage and soil. This flower takes root shallow.
Possible problems in growing saxifrage
This bush is resistant to diseases and parasites, however, the flower's health can be shaken due to violation of the conditions of maintenance and vital activity of pests.
Appearance Changes
Yellow, dried and deformed lower leaves indicate the old age of the plant, in this case it is time to carry out the update procedure.
The absence of branching and layering may indicate a lack of nutrients that can easily be filled with quick-acting liquid top-dressing or a universal top-dressing capsule placed 3-5 cm deep into the ground.
The fading and friability of the bush can be observed both with a lack of lighting, and with overheating - in this case, it is urgent to change the location of the pot.
Additional Information. For preventive purposes, it is useful to take care of the leaves, wiping them with warm water from dust once a month.
Frequent diseases
- Excessive moisture can rot the root system. When wilting and blackening, the plant should be examined for rotting roots. They are removed along with the affected leaves. Preserved petioles can be rooted in a temporary sand substrate with pieces of sphagnum in a proportion of 50/50. A greenhouse effect is created, the pot is placed in a place with a recommended temperature and sufficient lighting. Saxifrage can release the first sprout within a month.
- Infection with rust occurs through fungal spores carried by insects, granular spots of the corresponding color indicate that the water balance is disturbed. Rust is treated by removing the affected areas and treating with a fungicide, which is repeated again after 10 days. In this case, the plant should be protected from the presence of conifers.
- Powdery mildew is the result of fungus, white spots on the lower leaves with the time of maturation of spores are replaced by drops of moisture. This stops the growth of the flower and makes it vulnerable to cold. Damaged sprouts should be separated and burned, and the plant itself should be treated with fungicides such as quadris or scor.
Major parasites
- Spider mite infection manifests itself in the dryness of saxifrage. The leaves turn yellow, and a light spiderweb appears on their bases. This is treated by removing and burning the affected areas, then an insecticide is applied.
- The sticky white coating on the leaves is aphid secretions, the flower is washed with soap and regularly sprayed with a well-established mixture of garlic, feverfew, onion husks and pepper.
- Inflorescences and foliage of the plant attract worms, they multiply rapidly with a lack of moisture in the flower. Symptoms are sugar-like discharge. Worms are treated by treating the affected areas with a composition of 12 g of soap per liter of water once a week and manually collecting pests. In the future, saxifrage must be treated with biotlin or confidor.
Additional Information. In addition to these pests, the flower can become infected with thrips and nematodes.
The beauty of the plant deteriorates if the conditions of cultivation are not observed during cultivation, which entails the unevenness of the stems and bald spots in the usually close branching cover. Open ground can attract birds and mice to the flower.
In general, it is not difficult to grow a saxifrage, and a wide selection of species opens up good room for decorating a room or garden. Inexperienced gardeners, the plant is quite suitable.
