soil for saxes

[WimB]

Last week I visited an open garden of a member of the VRV (Flemish Rock garden society) and there I saw a beautiful trough with only saxes. So I ordered 10 Botanic saxes from Alpigena nursery to put in a trough.

Now my question is: what is the best soil-mixture for growing saxifraga's?


@Maggi: if you think this topic would be better with the topics of composts you can place it there but I was in doubt about where to put this topic.

[Maggi Young]

Wim, I think the topic can stay here... if you don't get enough response , then I can move it later!

I can tell you that we use the same mixture for our troughs with saxifragas as for others with alpines.... it is simply our general bulb mix, too!  http://www.srgc.org.uk/bulblog/log2007/260607/log.html
By volume: two parts gravel ( 6mm grit) one part leaf mould, two parts sand, we find many plants are very happy in this mix.

[Giles]

Dear Wim,

Think:  Lean/Mean/Well-drained.

Try: Saxifrages from Scratch, by Malcolm McGregor (available from Saxifrage Society- http://www.saxifraga.org/ )
or    Saxifrages- A Gardener's Guide to the Genus, by Winton Harding (available from The Alpine Garden Society  http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/ )

If you don't want the expense of buying these, I could send you photocopies of the relevant pages.

Giles

The first, has cultural information; the second has lots of colour pictures. Its worth getting both if you can afford it.

[David Shaw]

I more or less agree with Maggies compost mix. My own variation would be 1 part loam, 1 part leaf mould and 1 part (or more) grit.
Some saxifrages like some lime in the soil to encourage the silveryness of the leaves. My soil, and I guess Maggies also, is so neutral that we can grow anything in the garden without having to worry too much about pH. You probably need to check your own pH, Wim, to make sure that it is not too far from neutral before mixing your plants in the one compost.
As I said, I don't have to take much interest in pH and so am not an expert on the needs of plants but would guess that if the pH is less than 6 or greater than 8 then the compost will need correcting, or you could use two containers.
If you are going to get serious about saxifrages then Malcolm McGregor has a new book coming out in August/September and should be well worth waiting for (Advert - I will have it in stock as soon as possible).

[WimB]

Thanks for the info. I think I'll use the recipe of Maggi.

@ Giles: I would very much appreciate it if you could mail or email me the pages from those books. I'll PM you.

@ David: I've already ordered the book of Malcolm McGregor at Timber Press; normally it will be out in August.

[Kristl Walek]

Wim, I think the topic can stay here... if you don't get enough response , then I can move it later!

I can tell you that we use the same mixture for our troughs with saxifragas as for others with alpines.... it is simply our general bulb mix, too!  http://www.srgc.org.uk/bulblog/log2007/260607/log.html
By volume: two parts gravel ( 6mm grit) one part leaf mould, two parts sand, we find many plants are very happy in this mix.

Maggi,
Does it matter what kind of leaf mould? I assume it is finely chopped? I primarily have maple leaves---but they are very well chopped and semi-composted.

I have historically had a really hard time with my trough soil mixes---major issue is drying out in summer--and if I don't constantly water (most years except this one) the plants are terribly stressed---I wonder if David's mix might work better for me in my climate (very hot, sunny summers) I don't know enough about your climate to try to work this out.

[Maggi Young]

Yes, Kristl, more loam might work better for you..... we moved to the higher sand/grit content because we ran out of good loam and our weather is never so hot for so long that this is a problem.

[WimB]

I made the trough and planted 10 saxes in it. Hopefully they will grow...

[nicheplanthead]

Wim,


     really surprised that no one mentioned limey grit. Many encrusted saxifrages love the stuff.

I have found some red porous volcanic rock quite good and have finely crushed limestone 3mm or 1/8" size. You can also get powdered agricultural limestone to add on top to supplement if you want to enrich the mix.

I guess its only granite that is more neutral. You have a nice looking topping similar to a three coloured limestone which I use.   

[nicheplanthead]

David

    Rightly mentioned lime...
and Maggi's bulb mix does throw in a small amount volcanic rock which I found to be alkaline... it is not critical but helpful to add more as the growth will really improve as most of these plants grow quite slowly at least in my northern shorter growing season.

[WimB]

Here's the same trough one year and some months later. I used the following potting mix: one part loam, one part compost, one part grit and one part riversand. Although our soil is quite pH neutral I mixed in a bit of limey grit and they seem to grow very well.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

They look quite healthy and happy to me Wim !! 
Remember to post a picture when they're flowering next Spring !

[WimB]

I'll try to remember, IF they flower 

[gote]

I'll try to remember, IF they flower 

They will when they look like that
Göte

[David Shaw]

Really healthy looking plants, Wim, well done. We'll expect more pictures next spring.