Alpine Garden Society

Ulster Group
Plant of the Month, April 2008
Saxifraga Porophylla - by Raymond Copeland
Saxifraga Porophylla is from the Engleria section of the Saxifraga group. A native of Italy it is fairly widespread in the central and southern Apennines.
 
 
Its northern limit is 42o50'N in the Monti Sibillini, its southern at 39o45'N in the northern Calabria.
 
I acquired this particular plant in 1997 in a 7cm pot. It has been repotted when necessary although in the last five years this has been done yearly. Last month in the Members' Show, it received the Alpine Garden Society award of honour for best plant in show - the John McWhirter Bowl- and this month the Farrer in Dublin.
 
 Cultivation- I have grown it in a mix of 40% John Innes No 2, 10% Peat and 50% 3-6mm grit
 
 
Propagation is by removing rosettes aproximately 3/4'' long and inserting them in a 50-50 mix of sand and sharp sand. This has the added advantage of keeping the plant tidy. So far this regime seems to have worked well - hopefully this will continue.