About
Saxifraga 'Allendale Divine' is a cultivated selection of the rockfoil genus Saxifraga in the family Saxifragaceae, retaining the genus's low, rosette-forming habit and naked flower stalks. It produces open, typically five-petalled blooms across the spring into early summer (April to July). The plant suits close-up planting where its ground-hugging foliage and elevated flower stems can be appreciated. Flowering is concentrated from April to July, giving a reliable early-summer display.
About the genus
Saxifraga is the largest genus in the family Saxifragaceae, containing about 473 species of holarctic perennial plants, known as saxifrages or rockfoils. The Latin word saxifraga means literally "stone-breaker", from Latin saxum + frangere. It is usually thought to indicate a medicinal use for treatment of urinary calculi, rather than breaking rocks apart.
Wikipedia contributors, "Saxifraga", CC BY-SA 4.0 — Saxifraga
In the garden
Saxifraga 'Allendale Divine' belongs to the rockfoil genus Saxifraga, the largest genus in Saxifragaceae with several hundred holarctic species. As a garden selection it keeps the compact, rosette habit common to saxifrages and sends its small floral clusters up on slender, leafless stalks, so the flowers sit clearly above the foliage. Position the plant where that low habit is visible at close range: rockeries, stone crevices, alpine troughs or the front of a gravel bed suit it well. Because the flowers are borne on separate stalks, they read well in tight planting schemes and alongside other low alpines. Flowering runs from April to July; expect a series of open, actinomorphic blooms during that period. Maintenance is straightforward: remove spent flower stalks to tidy the plant and prevent seed set if that is not wanted. Regular observation for overcrowding in the rosette will help you decide when gentle division or thinning is needed. The five-petalled blooms appearing above the leaves give the cultivar its seasonal character and make its April–July display particularly effective in rockwork and plated stone settings.
More in the Saxifraga genus
- Saxifraga pennsylvanicaPennsylvania saxifrage
- Saxifraga × umbrosa of gardenstrue London pride
- Saxifraga 'Portae' (x _fritschiana_) (8)
- Saxifraga 'Regina' (x _prossenii_) (7)
- Saxifraga geum 'Dentata'Saxifrage