killerplants.com | What's in a Name? | Archive Most Recent | Free Newsletter Signup

Why was this plant named "breaking rocks"?

Suggested Reading—>Click here.

Killer Deals: Geranium, Candytuft, Ornamental Grass & more—>Click here.

Saxifrages are generally regarded as rock garden plants for their ability to thrive among stonework. There are an estimated 300 species of Saxifraga native to temperate, alpine, and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Many of the species are found in rocky soils. Saxifraga is the feminine of the Latin, saxifragus, meaning "breaking rocks".

A rock garden near San Francisco
Charles Martin
Buy this Framed Art Print at AllPosters.com

In The Herbal (Gerard, 1633) are listed eight Saxifraga. Four are obviously in the Apiaceae or celery family (Pimpinella spp.), two appear to be Aristolochia (possible error?), and two are listed under Of the Saxifrage of the Antients and are possibly pinks or carnation relatives. None appear related to the plants called Saxifraga today.

Saxifrage in the old herbals was the designation based on medicinal use—the 'breaking' of kidney stones. Chapter 188 Of the Saxifrage of the Antients was an addition by Thomas Johnson in 1633. He wrote, "This name Saxifraga or Saxifrage, hath of late been imposed upon sundry plants farre different in their shapes, places of growing, & temperature, but all agreeing in this one facultie of expelling or driving the stone out of the Kidneies, though not all by one meane or manner of operation."

The web site botanical.com - A Modern Herbal has posted a drawing of the burnet saxifrage, one of those listed by Gerard. To view the drawing, click on the link:

http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/s/saxbur27.html

The North American Rock Gardening Society has a photograph of Petrorhagia saxifraga, which appears similar to the drawings of the Saxifrage of the Ancients. To view the photograph, click on the link:

http://www.nargs.org/gardening/Petrorhagia.saxifraga.html

The University of Tromso has an article and photographs of some of the plants we now consider saxifrages. To view the subarctic varieties, click on the link:

http://www.uit.no/botanisk/Samling/Saxifraga/e-index.html

Click on the thumbnails to enlarge the images.

killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~

Dragon's Blood Sedum

Henry Fields Seed and Nursery®

Stands heat, drought, poor soil. - Brilliant, flame-red flowers bloom all summer. Succulent leaves become a glowing orange-red color in autumn. Drought tolerant, 4-6 in. tall plants spread 12-15 inches across, forming a dense mat. . Dragon's Blood Sedum is ideal for rock gardens. Prefers full sun. Six plants cover 6 sq. ft. Potted plants. Zone 3 to 9 Click here - $20 off at Henry Fields Seed and Nursery! Click here for All Ground Covers!

Geranium, Magic Mixture

Springhill Nursery®

Pure Magic Geranium Mixture for beds, pots and rock gardens! Sanguineum has delicate magenta flowers, Lancastriense has soft pink. Both bloom late spring through summer with delightful red foliage in fall. Mounds grow 4-12” tall, spread 12-18”. Each mix contains 2 Lancasriense and 1 Sanguineum.

#1 field-grown divisions. Deer tend to avoid.

Geranium sanguineum 'Lancastriense'; G. sanguineum

Masses of very pretty flowers, produced over a long period of time. A very adaptable and tough plant that handles drought well. The foliage forms attractive mounds that look appealing through-out the growing season and with the onset of fall it takes on a crimson-red color. The flowers are delicate in appearances and cover the foliage. A very easy and hardy plant to grow. This is the most trouble-free species for southern gardeners.

Click here - $20 off your first order at Spring Hill Nursery! Click here to View All Perennials!

Candytuft, Sweetheart Pink

Springhill Nursery®

Cotton candy for beds, pots and rock gardens!

Thick cushions of vivid pink blooms cover 4-6" tall plants to create a carpet of color from late spring to early summer. Blooms age to brilliant lilac.

For biggest impact, plant 10-12" apart in large drifts.

Shipped in 3" pot.

Iberis aurosica 'Sweetheart'

Low growing perennial ideal for rock garden or low wall plantings. Intense pink blooms change to brilliant lilac with age. Thick bushy cushions of blooms create a colorful display. Consider planting with Alyssums and Aubrietas for an even more colorful border display.

Click here - $20 off your first order at Spring Hill Nursery! Click here to View All Perennials!

Ornamental Grass Collection

Springhill Nursery®

This money-saving Ornamental Grass Collection includes the decorative grasses listed below:

3 Powder Blue Festuca
3 Perennial Fountain Grass
1 Zebra Grass
1 Northern Lights Grass
1 Pink Pampas
1 White Pampas Grass

All shipped in 3" pots.

One collection contains 10 plants!

This collection includes:

Powder Blue Festuca Grass (3), Striking ornamental forms grassy, tuftlike clumps 8" across, 8-12" high. Multiplies rapidly..
Perennial Fountain Grass (3), Fine-textured foliage and greenish-white flower spikes that appear in mid to late summer..
Zebra Grass (1), Rare and exotic. Use as an eye-catching accent or in a dramatic grouping..
Northern Lights Grass (1), A delightful and unique ornamental grass--each narrow blade is variegated with gold..
Pink Pampas Grass (1), Silken plumes in tropical pink. Adds exotic beauty to your landscape with tall-growing Pampas Grass..
White Pampas Grass (1), Billowing, feathery white plumes make an eye-catching display. Adds exotic beauty to your landscape..

One collection contains 10 plants! Click here - $20 off your first order at Spring Hill Nursery! Click here to View All Gardens!

Astilbe, Straussenfeder

Springhill Nursery®

Accentuate borders, rock gardens or pond edges with these graceful, cascading plumes. Sometimes called 'Ostrich Plume', this astilbe arches and nods as it reaches up 28-32". Salmon-pink florets cover the tapering panicles in July and August. Foliage starts bronze, turns dark green. Space 20-24" apart.

#1 field-grown plants. Deer tend to avoid.

Astilbe thunbergii 'Straussenfeder'

Zone 3 to 9

Long lasting graceful cascading plumes of Coral pink, unlike other astilbes, the arching, cascading habit gives it a unique, delicate look for the shaded garden.

Click here - $20 off your first order at Spring Hill Nursery! Click here to View All Perennials!

Collection, Made for the Shade

Breck's Bulbs®

Order the Made for the Shade Collection now and start enjoying a refreshingly cool and leafy retreat in your own back yard.

Breck’s exclusive Made for the Shade Collection includes:

10 LILY-OF-THE-VALLEY PLANTS (#1 roots)
Clusters of tiny white bells add charm and fragrance to every spring garden setting. Thrives in shade, spreading rapidly to create carpets of emerald foliage. Excellent under trees, in north-facing

foundation beds, borders and banks, in the shade of shrubs and in moist spots. Easy to establish, requires little care. Hardy plants multiply annually.

Height: 6" | Blooms: late spring | Zones: 3-9 Convallaria majalis

3 ARUM ITALICUM BULBS (4+ cm bulbs)
In late spring, Italian Arum produces little green jack-in-the-Pulpit-like blooms, brown-spotted with yellow pistils. These are followed, summer through fall, by clusters of showy, orange-red berries on strong stems, creating a spectacular display in the garden, also suitable for indoor arrangements. In late summer through winter comes the foliage show - 12" waxy, arrow-shaped leaves marbled in silver. Intriguing in beds or rock gardens.

Height: 10-15" | Blooms: late spring | Zones: 4-9 Arum italicum

3 TOAD LILY PLANTS (#1 plants)
In late summer, just when other perennials are beginning to go dormant, the exotic Toad Lily will burst into bloom. White with purple flecks, these unique and sturdy plants bloom for up to six weeks. Toad Lilies are extremely easy to grow in ordinary, well-drained soil. Not fussy about light conditions, they will bloom in sun or shade! Hardy and elegant - a must for your garden.

Height: 18-24" | Blooms: late summer to early fall | Zones 3-9 Tricyrtis hirta

That's 16 top-of-the-line plants total!

Click here - Free $25 off any order of $50 or more at Brecks Bulbs [ New at Breck's? ]