Saxifraga × urbium
London pride
- Position: full sun, with a little shade during the hottest part of the day, or partial shade
- Soil: moist but freely draining
- Rate of growth: fast
- Flowering period: May to July
- Hardiness: fully hardy
Spreading to form a carpet of evergreen foliage, this is an invaluable perennial that will add year-round interest to shadier parts of the garden. It's at its best however when the airy sprays of tiny, white, star-shaped flowers appear in late spring and early summer, seeming to float on their wiry stems above the rosettes of toothed, spoon-shaped leaves. Relatively undemanding and versatile, it's happiest when there is a reliable source of moisture - particularly during the warmer months of the year - and it's a great little plant for softening the edges, or filling larger gaps in the paving. - Garden care: Divide over-large clumps in spring.