Saxifraga ‘Rose’

Saxifraga 'Rose' (Saxifraga x arendsii 'Rose') is a mossy alpine perennial for the cool shaded corner where nothing else looks happy. It builds a soft cushion of fine evergreen rosettes only 15cm high and about 30cm across, then lifts wiry stems of small rose pink flowers above it in spring. Few plants this size do so much work along a shaded edge, and it is safe where cats and dogs roam.

Why you'll love it

• A living green cushion. The mossy foliage holds all year, so the planting reads as deliberate long after the flowers finish.
• Flowers that lift off the mat. Slender stems carry pink blooms 10cm to 15cm above the cushion through spring.
• Genuinely small. At 15cm tall and 30cm wide it edges a path or fills a rock crevice and never needs cutting off the paving.
• Safe around pets. Not toxic to cats or dogs, so it can go at ground level where animals graze and dig.

Where it works best

Rockeries and crevices. This is its natural role. Tucked between rocks on a shaded slope it gets the cool root run and sharp drainage it wants, and the cushion softens hard stone.

Groundcover and edging. Plant 25cm apart for a dense mossy carpet, roughly sixteen plants to the square metre. The cushions knit together within a season, and a single row edges a bed as a soft green ribbon.

Pots and containers. Shallow bowls and troughs suit it, and a pot can be moved out of harsh afternoon sun.

Growing Saxifraga 'Rose' in Australia

Position and climate. This is a cool temperate and warm temperate plant, and it is honest to say so. Melbourne, Adelaide, Hobart, Canberra, the tablelands and cooler coastal districts suit it. Hot dry inland summers and humid tropical gardens do not. Give it dappled shade, or morning sun with afternoon shade.

Soil. Free draining and gritty, with compost or leaf mould worked through. It is frost hardy and will sit under snow, but it rots in soil that stays soggy over winter, so on clay use a raised bed or a rock pocket.

Water and feed. Keep the soil evenly moist through the warm months, watering at the base rather than over the cushion, which can rot in still humid weather. A light slow release feed in early spring is enough.

Maintenance. Shear off the spent flower stems once they brown. If the centre dies out after a hot summer, lift and divide the clump in autumn and replant the healthy outer sections.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in tube stock, a small young plant only a few centimetres across that will look modest next to what you are picturing. That is normal for a cushion perennial: the roots are what matter, and a tube planted in autumn or early spring fills its 30cm space within one season.

Tubes travel well because there is almost no top growth to damage. Plant within a week and keep it shaded and moist while it settles. Delivered Australia wide, delivery from $29.95, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the wider rockery plant range
• The best ground cover plants for shade
• Low growing plant ideas for borders
• Compare other plants safe for pets

Common questions

How many do I need per square metre?

About sixteen at the recommended 25cm spacing, which closes over within a season. Stretch it to 30cm if you are patient and want fewer plants.

Will it survive an Australian summer?

In cool and warm temperate gardens it will, provided it has afternoon shade and never dries out. In hot dry inland gardens it struggles, and in the humid subtropics the cushion tends to rot.

Sun or shade?

Dappled shade or morning sun is the sweet spot in most of the country. Full sun scorches the foliage anywhere with warm summers, while deep shade thins the cushion and cuts the flowering.