Saxifraga in Troughs

[hadacekf]

Lesley,

The epithet crustata refers, of course, to the calcareous incrustatation on the leaves, but this is no more marked than in several other species of the section.
Rosette-leaves usually 10-25 x 2-3mm long, linear,scarcely, if at all, expanded at the tip, curved downwards

[Lesley Cox]

I should have looked a little further before rushing to the Forum because I've now found crustata, in a trough further along the line and it not only says crustata but also says "ex Thomas H" and I think it came to Thomas from either you yourself, Franz, or from the late Hans Hoeller. It certainly looks like the crustata  pictures here so that's that solved. The one I posted yesterday has shorter leaves and could well be a form of what I've always known as cochlearis, tho' perhaps not quite so small as c. minor. It doesn't really matter. It and the other really like these crevices between rocks. So thankyou everyone for the replies.

[Jlynx]

Yes Adrian is right it is not Crustata

[adrian young]

Had another look, I now lean towards S.cochlearis Major
The larger clones of cochlearis can be quite variable
especially in the rosette shape, but they always have
that expanded leaf tip giving that spoon look.
see the pics.

[Lesley Cox]

I'm happy to go with that Adrian. I used to have both S.cochlearis and S. cochlearis 'Minor' and the present one looks larger than minor but smaller than the other so I'll label it S. cochlearis and leave it at that. What I have (from Thomas's seed) as crustata is below, two seedlings.

[Jlynx]

Great photos.  Does anybody have any more late fall trough pics?

[Senecio 2]

Saxifraga cochlearis minor seems to be one of those plants that changes form as it ages. Here as young plants they assume the classic form of a domed cushion plant, usually with height exceeding girth. I find that as they get older things seem to spread out. Certainly specimens very quickly lose their dome shape if they receive any shade. The first picture is a young plant at its first flowering, classic dome shape. The second is another from the same batch potted on the same day (15 weeks ago), receiving about 3 hours shade from midday, showing what happens if given some shade such as an adjacent rock.
The third is of a more mature plant, lots of flowers but lost its shape. After the earthquakes it spent too long in temporary and unsatisfactory accommodation. It is more a mat plant than a cushion plant now. Even in Normal times it seems our mild climate allows growth to extend so long into winter that they fail to get enough light and are encouraged to loosen up and stretch out a little. As with most of the encrusted saxifrages they are not plants needing midday shade from a nearby rock.

[adrian young]

Hi Senecio (sorry I don't know your name)
S.cochlearis only forms raised domes in pots, there are many theories
as to why this happens. One thing is for sure a pot is a very unnatural
environment for an alpine plant.
There used to be a famous plant of S.cochlearis at Ingwersens Nursery
near East Grinstead, sadly closed down now. This plant was growing on a
large Tufa boulder for 35 years, I believe (see picture)
S.cochlearis can take a lot of sun as long as it has some moisture at the roots

[Lesley Cox]

Senecio in his Canterbury lair will no doubt be happy to see a NZ plant to the left of the Saxifraga. I remember visits to that amazing place and seeing THOUSANDS of Gentiana verna in flower! I hope the 50 I potted up yesterday will do as well.

[Leiomerus]

Hi,

I love Saxifrages very much, they are rewarding plants. I you give them the right treatment, they will love you too.
One method is to keep them in a trough and protect them against the sun when the sun is at its highest,  otherwise the plants may be scorched during summertime.
I have a special place to keep Saxifrages : I keep them in the gutter. It's an old gutter from a greenhouse. In fact a big, long trough.
As you see in the picture, the plants are not protected by any tree or a building, they get sun all day long, but they never get scorched because the gutter is pointed towards the Northeast. I took the picture last week, most are in bud, but now it's freezing, minus 9 C.
Anyway, the Saxifrages love the life in the gutter.

[Leiomerus]

forgot the picture

[Lesley Cox]

Which shows that even the classiest among us can descend to the lowest places. I hope you will take some pictures when they're in flower Leiomerus.

[Leiomerus]

Hi Lesley,

I certainly will when the plants recover after the 10 days of freezing they predict over here.

[Jlynx]

The large trough/gutter is awesome.  Very cool idea

[Leiomerus]

Thanks Jlynx,

Nearby is a picture of the whole 'gutter', and my Border Collie 'Wiz' was present too.
As you will notice, the Saxifrages more down in the gutter are smaller, the reason is that they were planted much later than the one's planted higher.