Silver Saxifrage 'Silver Cushion'

A member of the Euaizoonia or 'Silver' Saxifrages, this plant is grown as much for its exquisite foliage as for its flowers. It forms tight, architectural humming-top rosettes of lime-encrusted, silvery-grey leaves. These rosettes slowly multiply to form a dense, hard cushion. In late spring, outward-arching, reddish stems carry panicles of small, creamy-white flowers, often delicately spotted with red. This cultivar is particularly prized for its neat, symmetrical habit. Like most silver saxifrages, it is essential to plant this in a vertical crevice or a very well-drained gritty soil to prevent water from sitting in the crown, which can cause rot during the damp UK winters. It is an ideal specimen for a container or a tufa rock. It is very hardy and, once established, requires very little maintenance other than removing the old flower spikes.

Sun: Full sun to partial shade.

Soil: Extremely well-drained, gritty, alkaline soil.

Hardiness: H5 — down to −15°C.

Flowering: May, Jun.