Saxifraga longifolia

[iann]

I don't know if this one is too commonplace to be of interest, but I think its a nice plant.  It grew so much this year that I half expected it to flower, but it will go at least another year.  I also think I have finally managed to establish a seedling in a crack in my wall.

[Maggi Young]

Grand plants, aren't they? Especially for lovers of symmetry   I'll bet that seedling enjoys life there.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Definitely one of my favourite Saxes too !!

[maggiepie]

Not common to me but it just went on my wishlist!!

[Katherine J]

Ian, Your plant looks beautiful and healthy. Congratulations (also for the seedling)!

[hadacekf]

Saxifraga longifolia grows at best one at a vertically crevice, or in the side panel of a trough.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

It's a real beauty Franz !!

[Lesley Cox]

I have a whole potful of seedlings (if true) from AGS I think. Rather than separate them I planted them altogether so they look like a large, multirosetted plant, which of course it isn't. will get a picture in the next day or two.

[maggiepie]

Beautiful flower and photo, Franz.

Lesley, don't forget the pic, btw, how hardy are these plants?

[Lori S.]

Helen, I don't have the species but have had a couple of hybrids thereof (not monocarpic, unlike the species) that have been hardy here over the last small number of years, if that's any help to know.

Not so spectacular as photos of S.longifolia I have seen in books, where the inflorescence may be up to 1 meter long, but here is an S. longifolia hybrid, blooming at the end of June:\

[maggiepie]

Thanks for the pic, Lori, I could live with that one too 
Can't even imagine seeing a 1 meter long inflorescence ( new word for me, I wonder how long I will remember it)  

[Lesley Cox]

I promised pics ages ago but they've only been taken this morning. As can easily be seen, it is NOT S. longifolia but could, perhaps be a hybrid. There are a number of seedlings in the clump, not a single, multi-rosetted plant. Whatever, it is a good plant and I'll plant it at the edge of one of my new troughs.

[galahad]

Lovely plant, Lesley

[David Sellars]

Saxifraga longifolia comes easily from seed and is not too fussy in our garden.  It really likes tufa though.  Here is one I planted out last Spring in a tufa wall.  Photo taken on Christmas Day.


I was quite taken with this plant in the Cirque de Troumouse in the French Pyrenees last summer.  I made a video of the hike which you can find here:

http://www.mountainflora.ca/Pyrenees_Alpine_Flowers/Cirque_de_Troumouse.html

To get high definition video, click on the arrow in the centre,  then click the HD button bottom right and then the Full Screen button to the right of that.

[Lesley Cox]

I'm sure you're right David about it being easy from seed. The problem is to fet true seed, especially from garden collected material in the exchanges. It always seems to be of hybrid origin.

Incidentally, in both AGS and SRGS seed lists recently, Saxifraga 'Tumbling Waters' was listed. So far as I'm aware, TW is a longifolia hybrid, but a sterile one, so wouldn't set seed anyway. Again, surely, the wrong plant is being grown, havested and distributed mistakenly.