PERENNIAL - EVERGREEN GALLERY PAGES

FLOWER COLOUR
(o)Blue
Orange
(o)Other Colours
(o)Red
(o)Pink
(o)White
(o)Yellow

FOLIAGE COLOUR
Black
Blue
(o)Brown
(o)Bronze
(o)Green1
(o)Green2
(o)Grey
(o)Purple
(o)Red
(o)Silver
(o)Variegated White
Variegated Yellow
White
Yellow
Autumn Colour
4 Season Colour

FORM
(o)Mat-forming
(o)Prostrate
(o)Mound-forming
(o)Spreading
(o)Clump-forming
Stemless
(o)Upright
Climbing
Arching

FRUIT COLOUR
(o)Fruit

FLOWER BED PICTURES
(o)Garden

PERENNIALS - EVERGREEN
M-Z GALLERY PAGES
Site Map of pages with content (o)

Introduction

 

Pincushions - The pincushions of plants such as scabious (Scabiosa columbaria from BritishFlora) are in reality compound flowerheads, with a dome of central florets surrounded by larger florets.

7 Flower Colours per Month in Colour Wheel below in this EVERGREEN PERENNIAL Gallery.

Click on Black or White box in Colour of Month.

Evergreen Perennials Height from Text Border in this Gallery

Brown =
0-12 inches (0-30 cms)

Blue =
12-24 inches
(30-60 cms)

Green =
24-36 inches
(60-90 cms)

Red =
36-72 inches
(90-180 cms)

Black =
72+ inches
(180+ cms)

Evergreen Perennials Soil Moisture from Text Background in this Gallery

Wet Soil

Moist Soil

Dry Soil

The Plant Height Border in this Gallery has changed from :-
Blue = 0-2 feet (0-24 inches), Green = 2-6 feet (24-72 inches), Red = 6+ feet (72+ inches) to

• Brown = 0-12 inches (0-30 cms)
• Blue = 12-24 inches (30-60 cms)
• Green = 24-36 inches (60-90 cms)
• Red = 36-72 inches (90-180 cms)
• Black = 72+ inches (180+ cms)

Flowering months range abreviates month to its first 3 letters (Apr-Jun is April, May and June).
Click on thumbnail to change this comparison page to the Plant Description Page of the Evergreen Perennial named in the Text box below that photo.
The Comments Row of that Evergreen Perennial Description Page details where that Evergreen Perennial is available from.

EVERGREEN PERENNIAL INDEX

Evergreen Perennial Name.

Alpine Evergreen Perennial if Text Background is Blue

Flower Colour

Flower Thumb-nail

Flowering Months

/ Form

Height x Spread in inches (cms)
(1 inch = 2.5 cms,
12 inches = 1 foot
12 inches = 30 cms,
24 inches = 2 feet,
3 feet = 1 yard,
40 inches = 100 cms)

Foliage Colour

Comments

A

Acaena buchananii

Yellow

July, August

Mat-Forming

1.2 x 16
(3 x 40)

Grey-Green

Plant in crevices of paving stones, in walls, on banks and slopes as a ground cover, in pale coloured gravel, in a Rock Garden or Containers at 12" spacing.

Acaena inermis
'Purpurea'

Brownish-Green , then click on plant name for photo

Photo required

July, August

Mat-Forming

5 x 12-36
(13 x 30-90)

Purple-brown to
pale olive

A fantastic small scale evergreen groundcover with leaves shaded in deep purple/red.

Acaena magellanica
georgia-australis

Brownish-Green

Photo required

July, August

Mat-Forming

5 x 12-36
(13 x 30-90)

Grey-Green

Leaves that reach 2 inches in length with 11-15 tiny, light grey-green deeply blunt toothed leaflets

Acaena microphylla

Black

July, August

Mat-Forming

2-4 x 24
(5-10 x 60)

Green

Native from montane river gravels with grassland and herbfield in North Island, New Zealand. The spiny burrs (fruit) may be a nuisance to pets and sheep.

Acantholimon
glumaceum

Pink and Purple
 

July

Mat-Forming

3 x 6-12
(8 x 15-30)

Mid to Dark Green

Only Acantholimon glumaceum and Acantholimon venustum (1993) have generally proved themselves reliable in the open, requiring sharp drainage and either a scree or a vertical crevice or dry wall facing South or West. It is best to put young plants in their permanent positions and leave them undisturbed thereafter.

Acantholimon
venustum

Pink

July, August,
September

Cushion

6 x 12
(15 x 30)

Blue-Grey to Grey-Green

Achillea chrysocoma

Bright Yellow

July

Clump-Forming

8-12 x 12
(20-30 x 30)

Green

Excellent cut flower in fresh or dry arrangements. To dry, cut and hang upside down in a dark area with good ventilation.

Aethionema
armenum

Pink, sometimes white,
veined
 

May, June, July

Cushion

4-8 x 18
(10-20 x 45)

Blue-Grey

Ideal for the rock garden, bedded in gravel, raised bed, trained up a dry wall or pot plant in the Alpine House. Plant with Arenaria montana, Aster alpinus 'Pinkie' and Campanula portenschlagiana

Aethionema
grandiflorum

Pink

 

May, June, July,
August

Spreading

12-18 x 18
(30-45 x 45)

Grey-Green

Aethionema
'Warley Rose'

Pink
 

May, June, July,
August

Mat-Forming

4-6 x 20 (10-15 x 50)

Blue-Grey

Agapanthus
africanus blue

Deep Blue

July, August,
September

Clump-Forming

32 x 18
(80 x 45)

Light Green

Excellent cut flower. Contrasts well with yellow flowers. Easily combined with kniphofia, crocosmia, phygelius, potentilla, iris and tropical foliage.

Agapanthus
africanus 'Albus'

White
 

July, August,
September

Clump-Forming

24-36 x 24
(60-90 x 60)

Dark Green

Excellent cut flower. Combine with Echinops ritro 'Veitch's Blue' and Hemerocallis 'Pink Damask'. Plants for pest control against slugs and snails in Companion Planting.

Ajuga genevensis

Violet-blue, can be
pink or white

May, June

Mat-Forming

8-10 x 24 (20-25 X 60)

Dark Green

Mat-forming plant that grows on the edges of dry woods, as well as in thickets and grasslands. Combine Ajuga with pink, pale blue and mauve flowers.

Ajuga pyramidalis
'Arctic Fox'

Violet-blue, can be
pink or white

Photo required

April, May, June

6 x 6
(15 x 45)

Cream leaves with Dark Green margin

A good edge-softener for polygonatum, Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam', Hosta 'Sum and Substance', bronze fennel, ornamental grasses, iris, lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea', round bulbs, under fruit trees, alongside woodland paths or in the shady border.

Ajuga genevensis

Violet-blue, can be
pink or white

May, June

Mat-Forming

8-10 x 24 (20-25 X 60)

Dark Green

Mat-forming plant that grows on the edges of dry woods, as well as in thickets and grasslands. Combine Ajuga with pink, pale blue and mauve flowers.

Ajuga pyramidalis
'Arctic Fox'

Violet-blue, can be
pink or white

Photo required

April, May, June

6 x 6
(15 x 45)

Cream leaves with Dark Green margin

Ajuga reptans
 

Dark Blue

May, June

Mat-Forming

6 x 30
(15 x 75)

Dark Green

Ajuga reptans
'Atropurpurea'

Dark Blue

April, May, June

Mat-Forming

6 x 36
(15 x 90)

Reddish-Purple

Ajuga reptans
'Braunherz'

Dark Blue

May, June

Mat-Forming

3.5 x 30
(9 x 75)

Purple with Bronze tint

A good edge-softener for Polygonatum, Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam', Hebe pinguifolia 'Pagei', Hosta 'Sum and Substance', bronze-foliaged Fennel, Ornamental Grasses, Iris and Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea'. Use under fruit trees with bulbs. Also useful as a groundcover between larger perennials and shrubs.

Ajuga reptans
'Burgundy Glow'

Dark Blue

Photo required

May, June
 

6 x 30
(15 x 75)

Silver-Green, flushed Red

Ajuga reptans
'Catlin's Giant'

Deep Blue

May, June

Mat-Forming

8 x 15
(20 x 38)

Bronze-Purple

Ajuga reptans
'Rainbow'

Dark Blue

May, June

Mat-Forming

4.75 x 30
(12 x 75)

Variegated Bronze-Green, Cream and Pink

Ajuga reptans
'Valfredda'

Dark Blue

Photo required

May, June

Mat-Forming

4.75 x 30
(12 x 75)

Chocolate-Brown

Alpine House Cultivation Alyssum do well in Compost A (Equal parts of loam, leafmould and sand. This is a suitable mixture for plants which require a light, open, porous soil with good drainage. A good mixture for troughs in a sheltered position in part shade.) over good drainage. They need
1) a ample amount of water in spring and summer,
2) from September to April give only enough water to keep the compost dry but not from becoming arid in winter.

Ajuga reptans
'Variegata'

Dark Blue
 

April, May, June

Mat-Forming

6 x 24
(15 x 60)

Grey-Green leaves margined and splashed Cream

Anchusa cespitosa

Deep bright blue

May, June, July

Cushion

2 x 9
(5 x 23)

Deep Green

Use in rock garden, raised bed, scree or alpine house. Pair Anchusa azurea 'Loddon Royalist' with Papaver orientale for early summer counterpoint., then add some orange Geums, deep blue Siberian Iris, with a little Euphorbia griffithii 'Fireglow' nearby - to produce an eye-popping combination.

Androsace albana

Pale pink or white

July, August

Cushion

4-10 x 4 (10-25 x 10)

Mid-Green

Ideal for the rock garden and raised bed (Rock Garden FAQS). High alpine species need vertical crevices in rock work, a dry wall or scree bed conditions.

Androsace bulleyana

Purple-red

June, July

Mat-Forming

4-12 x 4 (10-30 x 10)

Grey-Green

Androsace require sharply drained sandy soil in vertical crevices in rock work, a dry wall or a scree bed.

Androsace delavayi

Pink or white
 

May, June

Cushion

6 x 6
(15 x 15)

Dark Green

Neatly cushion-forming; older plants spreading to form mats. Fragrant.

Androsace
jacquemontii

Deep pink

May, June

Clump-Forming

1 x 8
(2.5 x 20)

Grey-Green

Thrives outside in a raised scree bed as a clump; ideally with a pane of glass to keep off the winter wet. Can be grown in an Alpine House.

Androsace laevigata
'Gothenburg'

Rose-pink to
rose-purple

May, June

Mat-Forming

4 x 12
(10 x 30)

Dark Green

Densely mat-forming and compact, to about 1 foot across. Androsace World aims to exhibit a photograph of every known species of Androsace.

Androsace
lanuginosa

Lilac-pink

June, July,
August

4 x 18
(10 x 45)

Grey-Green

An easily grown and attractive species for the rock garden, thriving even in clay soils with a modicum of grit. Plant vertically where possible so that rain and other water doesn't sit in the rosettes of the plant. This is a sure way to kill them off. Always water from beneath the leaves. Hates wet winters.

Androsace
mucronifolia

White to deep pink

June, July,
Mid-August

Cushion

4 x 15
(10 x 38)

Pale Green

Pale green foliage rosettes almost globular up to 0.5 inches across. Green leaves obovate, round tipped and mucronate (mucronate is an adjective meaning ending in a mucro, or sharp point). Habitat among rocks, screes and alpine meadows.

Androsace
pyrenaica

White

May, June

Cushion

4 x 9
(10 x 23)

Grey-Green

It favours acid rocks, being generally found on granite cliffs above 2500 metres in the Pyrenees. Perfect for alpine troughs. See details on its Alpine House Cultivation.

Androsace rigida

Bright pink

April, May, June

Mat-Forming

4 x 8
(10 x 20)

Deep Green

Native from South-Western China, in the drier subalpine zone on open grassy slopes, in rock crevices at forest margins and also in open mossy forests. Loosely mat to open cushion-forming, in the wild sometimes up to 8 inches tall. Grows quite well outside with winter wet protection, but young growth can be frost damaged.

Androsace
rotundifolia

White fading to pink
or pink-red

June, July

Spreading

5 x 3
(13 x 8)

Mid-Green

Native from North Western Himalaya; Kashmir to Nepal and Bhutan; in varied habitats from open hillsides to shady rock ledges and open woodland at altitudes of 1500-3600 metres.

Androsace
sarmentosa
 

Bright pink
to carmine

July, August

Mat-Forming

4 x 12
(10 x 30)

Deep Green

It is one of the easiest and most rewarding of the species suitable for rock garden and raised beds.
Sharply drained sandy soil in vertical crevices in rock work, rock garden or a scree bed.
The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil.The plant prefers basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Androsace
sempervivoides

Pink to
mauve-pink

May

Mat-Forming

6 x 2
(15 x 5)

Deep Green

It quickly spreads by runners to give a mat of rosettes, and does not need winter protection.
It requires a habitat of sharply drained sandy soil in vertical crevices in rock work, a dry wall or a scree bed.

Androsace
spinulifera

Magenta-red
to purple

June, July

Clump-Forming

3-12 x 5
(8-30 x 13)

Light Green

A plant from Yunnan, forming small rosettes of spine-tipped, closely imbricated leaves in winter, these elongating to more loose, narrow spine-tipped large leaves in spring. Flowers on 6 inch stems in umbels. Quite easy in Compost A (Equal parts of loam, leafmould and sand. This is a suitable mixture for plants which require a light, open, porous soil with good drainage. A good mixture for troughs in a sheltered position in part shade). They need

• a sufficiency of water in spring and summer with full sun conditions,
• from September to April give only enough water to keep the compost dry but not from becoming arid in winter.

Androsace
strigillosa

White

May, June
July

Clump-Forming

10 x 12
(25 x 30)

Mid-Green

"The reverse of the petals are deep dusky pink outlined with white. It has grown well outside for many years, eventually making a wide clump." from Kevock Garden Plants .

Androsace studiosorum
'Doksa'

White

April

Mat-Forming

3 x 3
(8 x 8)

Grey-Green

Hairy grey-green foliage rosettes which are interlinked with fine red stems to make dense mats in sharply drained sandy soil in vertical crevices in rock work, a dry wall or a scree bed.

Androsace tapete

White
 

June, July

Cushion

3 x 6
(8 x 15)

Light Green

Forms compact moundlike cushions and is native from dry meadows and gravelly mountain slopes. In the wild, it takes at least 10 years from first budding for this plant to form a rounded cushion about 3 inches high and 10 inches wide in the limestone gravel at arid heights.

Androsace
vandellii

White
...

April

Cushion

2 x 4
(5 x 10)

Light Green

A tightly cushion-forming species up to 6 inches across. Native from the Alps, in non-calcareous or igneous rock fissures, often in shaded sites but also stands full exposure. In its early years a relatively easy and popular species which can be grown outside in vertical crevices, or a scree bed, ideally with winter rain protection using a sheet of glass.

Androsace villosa

White fading to pink

March, April, May

Mat-Forming

6 x 9
(15 x 23)

Mid-Green

Hairy, mid-green foliage in rosettes, ideally with winter rain protection using a sheet of glass. Plant firmly in good, free soil, with lime rubble and sandstone fragments to keep it well drained.
Alpine House Propagation - By cuttings taken in July. Repot every other year after flowering.

Androsace
yargongensis

Pink or
White

June, July

Cushion

1 x 4
(2.5 x 10)

Dark Green

3 -5 White or Pink flowers in each cushion in June-July.
Dense cushions from regularly branched purplish-brown shoots and crowded dark green leaf rosettes 0.125-0.5 inches in diameter.
Soil - Sharply drained sandy soil in a limestone scree bed

Anemone blanda

Blue,
purple, white
or pink

March, April

Clump-Forming

6 x 6
(15 x 15)

Dark Green

Entire plant is poisonous.
For spring-flowering Anemones - bulbs, aquilegia, dicentra, helleborus, omphalodes, ranunculus ficaria, trillium and primula.
For late summer and autumn-flowering Anemones - grasses, hardy fuchsias, aster, dahlia, eupatorium, phlox and astrantia.

Anemone x hybrida
 

Pale pink

August, September, October

Upright

48-60 x indefinite (120-150 x indefinite)

Mid-Green

The Japanese Anemone requires well-drained, humus-rich, Sand or Chalk; with moist soil that does not dry out. A Mulch with 4 inch depth of compost in November and top it up in March will accomplish this. Ideal for the border.

Anemonella
thalictroides

White (pink forms
are known)

March, April,
May, June

Clump-Forming

6 x 12
(15 x 30)

Olive-Green

Clump or colony-forming, slowly spreading to 12 inches or more across. Need to be protected from competition in the root zone. Plants disappear by midsummer (Summer dormant), earlier if they don't get enough moisture. Remove dead foliage and mark location of plants; even when dormant, they need to be kept moist. Tubers may rot in very wet soils like clay or alongside streams, rivers or lakes. Grow in a woodland garden, underplanting in a shady shrub border or a rock garden. See Nursery of Perennials, Ferns and Bulbs for Shade for other plants to put in the shade.

Anthericum liliago

White

May, June

Clump-Forming

24-36 x 12
(60-90 x 30)

Grey-Green

St. Bernard's Lily is superb when naturalised in grass with a mixture of native and exotic bulbs and perennials. Along with understated narcissus cultivars ('Hawera' is a beautifully simple flower), it will sit well with Camassia cusickii, Allium sphaerocephalon and, for later colour, Liatris spicata.

Aquilegia atrata

Deep Purple, almost black

June

Mat-Forming

24 x 12
(60 x 30)

Dark Green

All aquilegia seeds and roots are poisonous.
Excellent mat-forming plant between small shrubs. Native in open woodland and rocky places on limestone in Southern Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Italy, France and Switzerland.

Aquilegia canadensis

Red and Yellow

April, May, June

Mat-Forming

36 x 12
(90 x 30)

Pale Green

Excellent plant for between small shrubs, in a rock garden and in the Alpine House. Native to Eastern USA on roadside banks and in dappled shade, North America and Canada on rocky outcrops and woodland.
Plant any of the Allium family nearby to ward off aphids.

Aquilegia flabellata
'Kurilensis'

Blue-Purple

June

Mat-Forming

10-12 x 12 (25-30 x 30)

Dark Green

Excellent mat-forming plant for the rock garden and Alpine House. Companions with Viola, alchemilla mollis, geranium, hemerocallis, paeonia, digitalis, hosta, euphorbia and pulmonaria.

Aquilegia formosa

Red

April, May, June, July, August

Clump-Forming

8-32 x 15 (20-80 x 38)

Blue-Green

Excellent clump-forming plant for woodland garden, between small shrubs, or by the pond and stream. Requires Moist soil - Don't let the soil dry out since it appreciates stream banks.

Aquilegia vulgaris
 

Pink, blue-violet or
white through pinks and purple to almost black

May, June

Clump-Forming

18-30 x 18-24
(45-75 x 45-60)

Grey-Green

Excellent erect clump plant for inserting between roses and small shrubs.
Available as seed from The Seed Site. Usually comes true from seed.

Arenaria balearica

White

April, May, June

4 x 20
(10 x 50)

Dark Green

Good dark green background, but versatile for use in mixed containers, rockeries, borders and paved gardens.

Arenaria tetraquetra

White

May, June

Cushion

0.5 x 12-15
(1 x 30-45)

Grey-Green

Dense, hard green mat of tetragonus leaves; many white, stem-less flowers in May. Use as a mat to intergrow with something larger such as dianthus or bulbs.

Arisarum proboscideum

White tubed, Purple striped spathes

April, May

Mat-Forming

4 x 12
(10 x 30)

Bright Green

Forms a slowly spreading mat of bright green heart-shaped leaves, emerging in spring shortly before the flowers. These are about 3 cm high, with a dark brown spathe, shading to white in the lower half, and with a very long brown tail extending from the top of the spathe

Armeria juniperifolia

Light Pink

March, April, May

Mat-Forming

2-4 x 4-6
(5-10 x 10-15)

Dark Green

Compact, hardy, evergreen perennial which forms low-growing mats. Ideal for rock gardens, gravel gardens, raised beds, containers and for edging beds. As this plant grows by the sea, it's ideal for coastal gardens. The pretty pink flowers open in late spring and are very attractive to bees, beetles, hoverflies, butterflies and moths.

Armeria juniperifolia 'Bevan's Variety'

Rosy-Pink

March, April, May

Cushion

2 x 4
(5 x 10)

Grey-Green

Very tight compact green dome with almost sessile pink flowers in profusion in May. A real beauty, ideal for trough, crevice, wall or raised bed. Salt tolerant, it can be planted along coastlines.

Armeria maritima
'Alba'

White
...

May, June
July, August

Mat-Forming

6-12 x 12 (15-30 x 30)

Dark Green

Ideal for the rock garden, raised bed, scree as an edging plant and alpine house. Cut off flowers and stems immediately after the flowers fade, and they will rebloom. Replace plants after they become loose and straggly. Poke sections of stem into the soil in the spring, where they will root to produce your next plants.

Artemesia pedemontana

Yellow

June, July,
August

Cushion

8 x 12
(20 x 30)

Silver

The silky wormwood forms a low mound of mink-fur-soft much dissected silver leaves. We grow a patch of it at the edge of a path in our dry climate garden. Whilst it looks delicate it is in fact easy to grow as long as it is given full sun and doesn’t sit in sodden soil for long periods. Silky Wormwood is equally happy in the rock garden as in the border.

Artemisia
stelleriana

Yellow
...

August,
September

Mat-Forming

18-30 x 24 (45-75 x 60)

Greyish-White

Companions of Ornamental grasses, lilies, allium, aster, sedum and nepeta. Also use with plants that have white flowers.

Asarum caudatum

Purple

July, August

Clump-Forming

12 x 4
(30 x 10)

Apple Green

Wild Ginger is a useful ground-cover plant for deep shade, spreading by its roots. It spreads by rhizomes that travel on the surface of the ground or just slightly beneath.

Asperula nitida

Pink

July, August

Spreading

4 x 8
(10 x 20)

Light Green

Woodruff is a hardy plant which grows horizontally and low to the ground. It requires a medium and well drained soil, preferring semi-shade, sun, and a position in an alpine house, in a container or bedded in gravel or in a raised bed or in a rock garden.

B

Bergenia 'Autumn Magic'

Mid-Pink
 

March, April,
May

Clump-Forming

12 x 16
(30 x 40)

Mid Green that turns Dark Red in Winter

Bergenia is a tough and hardy grower that thrives in just about any position. It can’t be beaten as an evergreen ground cover plant.

Bergenia 'Bressingham White'

Pure White
 

March, April

Clump-Forming

18-24 x 26 (45-60 x 65)

Dark Green

Companion plants to Bergenias are Omphalodes, Brunnera macrophylla, Hamamelis, Primula, Helleborus, Ophiopogon and Chaerophyllum.

Bergenia cordifolia

Red

March, April

Clump-Forming

18-24 x 24 (45-60 x 60)

Dark Green, bronze tinged

Bergenias are good for softening edges of beds, at their best when mass planted. Use with bulbs whose flowers will rise above the leaves.

Bergenia cordifolia 'Purpurea'

Purplish-Red

March, April

Clump-Forming

21 x 24
(52 x 60)

Reddish-Green foliage that turns Purple in Winter

 

Leave the dead bergenia leaves on to provide the ground cover and prevent light reaching annual weed seeds to germinate them.. This plant has "bright magenta flowers. Inter-planted with yellow tulips will form an absolutely stunning display in Spring.

Bergenia 'Morning Red'

Bright Carmine-Pink

April, May

Clump-Forming

15 x 15
(38 x 38)

Dark Green

How to divide Bergenias.

Further details about Bergenia species from Wikipedia.

Bergenia purpurascens

Purple-Red

March, April

Clump-Forming

18 x 12
(45 x 30)

Dark Green in Spring, then Purple foliage in winter.

Clump-forming form. Harbours snails!!

See Pest Control in Companion Planting to provide plants to ward off snails.

Bergenia 'Silver Light'

White turning Pink with age, Red centre

April, May

Clump-Forming

12-18 x 26 (30-45 x 65)

Dark Green

Strong grower.

Common names of Elephant's Ears, Pigsqueak, Megasea.

Brachyscome rigidula

Pale mauve, pink, purple-blue or white

May, June,
July, August, September

Clump-Forming

6 x 8
(15 x 20)

Light Green

Tufted to small clump-forming plant with erect to ascending stems, that grows as a native plant in well-drained soils at higher elevations in dry pastures of Eastern Australia. Use in rock garden.

C

D

Dianthus
erinaceus

Pink

June, July,
August

Cushion

2 x 20
(4 x 50)

Mid-Green

Cushion-forming form. Sparse production of flowers in cool climates.

E

Erinus alpinus

Pink, Purple or
White

June, July
June, July

Mat-Forming

3 x 4
(8 x 10)

Dark Green

Mat-forming form. Self-seeds. Ideal for rock garden, a wall, or paving crevices.

F

G

Geranium cinereum
'Ballerina'

Purplish-Red

June, July

Mat-Forming

6 x 12
(15 x 30)

Grey-Green

Excellent Rock Garden plant with long flowering season. More information about hardy geraniums can be obtained from Hardy Geraniums for the Garden by the Hardy Plant Society ISBN 0 901687 06 5.

H

I

J

K

L

Lavatera
maritima
 

Pink or
...
...
White

September, October,
November
September, October,
November

Upright

60 x 36
(150 x 90)

Grey-Green

Combine with
Aconitum x cammarum 'Bicolor, Buddleja davidii 'Nanho Petite Purple', Cistus x argenteus 'Blushing Peggy Sammons' and Dahlia 'Gerrie Hoek'

Limonium
minutum

Purple
 

July

Cushion

4 x 6
(10 x 15)

Dark Green

Use in herbaceous, annual border, trough or rock garden and for naturalizing in a gravel garden.

M

N

O

P

Phlox subulata
'Temiskaming'

Deep Magenta
 

June, July

Cushion

4 x 20
(10 x 50)

Bright Green

Grow in rock garden, alpine house, dry wall, or as edging. Companion plants with Eupatorium, Salvia, Aster, Echinacea, Geranium, Hardy Fuchsia and Aconitum.

Phuopsis
stylosa

Pink
 

June, July,
August

Mat-Forming

6 x 20
(15 x 50)

Pale Green

Ground cover on a bank, in a rock garden, or at the front of a border. Slugs in Spring can be a problem, so plant Rosemary, White Hellebore or Wormwood alongside to reduce it.

Prunella
grandiflora

Purple
 

July, August,
September

Spreading

6 x 36
(15 x 90)

Deep Green

Ground cover on a bank, at the front of a border, or in a wild garden, where attract bees and butterflies.

Q

R

Raoulia
australis

Sulphur-Yellow

July, August,
September

Mat-Forming

0.5 x 12
(1 x 30)

Grey-Silver

Use in a rock garden, raised bed or a scree bed (comes from screes in New Zealand).

S

Explaination of the 15 Saxifraga Generic Sections is in Saxifraga apiculata

Saxifraga Section 1

Saxifraga Section 2

Saxifraga cymbalaria

Bright Yellow

April

Cushion

4 x 12
(10 x 30)

Bright Green

Use in the border between taller perennials or shrubs to provide the part shade or in a woodland setting and in a rock garden.

Saxifraga Section 3

Saxifraga Section 4

Saxifraga Section 5

Saxifraga Section 6

Saxifraga Section 7

Saxifraga apiculata

Yellow

March, April

Cushion

4 x 12
(10 x 30)

Lime-encrusted Deep Green

Companion plants for saxifragas are Ferns, Hosta, Primula, Arisaema, Geranium, Astilbe, Aruncus aethusifolius, Viola cornuta and Hakonechloa.

Saxifraga burseriana

White

March

Cushion

2 x 6
(5 x 15)

Grey-Green

Grow in a Rock Garden, trough, Alpine House or tufa. Mulch round it with grit for drainage.

Saxifraga burseriana
'Gloria'

White

March

Cushion

2 x 6
(5 x 15)

Grey-Green

Growing medium required is Chalk, Sand or in Alpine House in 2 parts John Innes No 1 and 1 part limestone chippings

Saxifraga burseriana
var. major

White
 

March, April

Cushion

3 x 6
(8 x 15)

Grey-Green

Lime-encrusted, Grey-Green foliage with 5-petalled White flower in March-April on red stems.

Saxifraga burseriana 'Sulphurea'

Yellow
 

March

Cushion

2 x 6
(5 x 15)

Grey-Green

Lime-encrusted, Grey-Green foliage with Yellow 5-petalled flowers in March on short red stems

Saxifraga x irvingii 'Jenkinsiae'

Pale Pink
 

March

Cushion

2 x 8
(6 x 20)

Grey-Green

Grow in rock garden or trough. Very floriferous.

Saxifraga oppositifolia 'Splendens'

Rich Rose-Purple
 

April

Mat-Forming

2 x 12
(6 x 30)

Dark Green

Originated in the Pyrenees. Grow in scree or rock garden as a fine garden plant.

Saxifraga Section 8

Saxifraga cochlearis

Red-spotted White
 

June

Cushion

8 x 6
(20 x 15)

Mid Green

Use in rock garden, trough, alpine house or tufa. Intolerant of winter wet.

Saxifraga cotyledon

White marked Red

June, July

Cushion

24 x 8
(60 x 20)

Pale Green

White marked red 5-petalled flowers in branched and pyramidal groups in June-July. The flowering foliage rosette dies after blooming.

Saxifraga paniculata

Creamy-White

July

Mat-Forming

6 x 10
(15 x 24)

Grey-Green

Use in rock garden, trough, alpine house or tufa. Intolerant of winter wet.

Saxifraga
'Southside Seedling'

White, heavily
spotted Red

May, June

Mat-Forming

16 x 8
(40 x 20)

Pale Green

Grow in a rock garden partly shaded by higher plants.

Saxifraga Section 9

Saxifraga Section 10

Saxifraga Section 11

Saxifraga x urbium

Pink-flushed White

July

Spreading

12 x indefinite
(30 x indefinite)

Mid Green

Spreading mat form. Use as groundcover in rock garden or border to create a green carpet.

Saxifraga Section 12

Saxifraga Section 13

Saxifraga Section 14

Saxifraga Section 15

Saxifraga cebennensis

White

July

Cushion

12 x 12
(30 x 30)

Dark Green

Makes a tight green "mossy" dome for growing in an alpine house or outside on tufa with shade from the midday sun. Seeds profusely.

Saxifraga 'Dubarry'

Crimson
 

May, June

Cushion

6 x 6
(15 x 15)

Mid Green

Use in rock garden, trough, alpine house or tufa. Intolerant of winter wet.

Saxifraga exarata

Cream
 

July

Cushion

6 x 12
(15 x 30)

Mid Green

From the Latin "saxum" (Rock) and "frago" (to break); those growing naturally in rock crevices appear to have broken the rocks.

Saxifraga 'Pixie'

Bright Pink or
White

May

Cushion

1 x 6
(3 x 15)

Bright Green

Bright Green notched leaves and use in rock garden, trough, alpine house or tufa.

Saxifraga
'Pixie Alba'

Creamy-White

May

Cushion

1 x 6
(3 x 15)

Bright Green

Use in rock garden, trough, alpine house or tufa. Intolerant of winter wet.

Saxifraga rosacea
var. hartii

White

May
 

12 x 12
(30 x 30)

Light Green

Compact Cushion Form. Native of maritime cliffs of Aranmoor in Northwestern Ireland and a fairly easy grower in a garden bed.

Saxifraga
'Winifred Bevington'

White dotted
with Red

April
 

2 x 5
(6 x 12)

Dark Green

A neat little plant with flattish prostrate rosette form with 6 inch high flowering stems.

The explaination of 12 Sedum Generic Sections is in Sedum acre

Sedum Section 1

Sedum Section 2

Sedum kamtschaticum

Deep Golden-Yellow

June, July, August

Mat-Forming

5 x 12
(12 x 30)

Mid Green

Use on stony slopes in a rock garden with a grit mulch. You can use Sedum yourself or get it erected on evergreen roof gardens.

Sedum Section 3

Sedum Section 4

Sedum Section 5

Sedum acre

Bright Yellow

July, August,
September

Mat-Forming

2 x 24
(5 x 60)

Light Green

Grown in dry grassland, sand-dunes, shingle, walls and rocks.

Sedum hispanicum

White with Pink to Purple veins

June, July

Cushion

4 x 4
(10 x 10)

Dense pinky glaucous-grey, often finely spotted purple

Sedums below 1 foot in height are suitable for the Rock Garden or at the front of the border. Use the remainder in the Autumn Border. Usually very free-flowering.

Sedum rupestre

Yellow with
Red-tipped keels

July

Mat-Forming

4 x 24
(10 x 60)

Grey-Green

Spreads freely; best in a large rock garden. The Sedum Society provides further data.

Sedum spathulifolium 'Cape Blanco'

Yellow
 

July, August,
September

Mat-Forming

4 x 24
(10 x 60)

Silvery-Green, frequently suffused Purple

Companion Plants for sedums are Dwarf Conifers, Low-growing Ornamental Grasses, Aster, Nepeta ,Penstemon, Salvia, Scabiosa, Heuchera, Carex.

Shortia uniflora

Pink

April

Mat-Forming

6 x 10
(15 x 24)

Mid-Green

Woodland plants in the wild.
A summary of the genus Shortia.

Silene acaulis

Deep Pink

July

Cushion

2 x 12
(5 x 30)

Bright Green

Put with Low-growing Ornamental Grasses, short Campanulas, Erigeron, Euphorbia myrsinites, Dianthus deltoides, Iirs germanica and Iris siberica.

Sisyrinchium graminoides

Deep to Light Purple with a Yellow Eye

June, July, August

Clump-Forming

19 x 6
(48 x 15)

Deep Green

Further details about this plant and its cultural requirements. Grow in herbaceous border.

Stachys macrantha
 

Pinkish-Purple

July, August,
September, October

Upright

24 x 12
(60 x 30)

Dark Green

Grow in mixed shrub/Perennial Border or Herbaceous Border. Attractive to bees and butterflies.

T

Tradescantia Andersoniana Group

Blue, Purple, Rose-Pink to Rose-Red, or White

May, June, July, August, September

Clump-Forming

24 x 24
(60 x 60)

Mid Green

Grow with Fern, Hosta, Iris foetidissima, Iris siberica, Ligularia, Heuchera, Brunnera and Hemerocallis liliaasphodelus in the Summer Border.

U

V

Veronica
pectinata

White-eyed Deep Blue
 

July, August,
September

8 x 8
(20 x 20)

Grey

Use as groundcover. Slugs in early Spring can be a problem, so plant Rosemary, White Hellebore or Wormwood alongside to reduce it.

Veronica
pectinata 'Rosea'

Pink
 

July, August,
September

Mat-Forming

8 x 8
(20 x 20)

Grey

Grow with Miscanthus, Pennisetum, Molinia, Hosta, Primula, Paeonia, Carex, Narcissus, Lathyrus vernus, Phlox paniculata, Aconitum, Aster, Geranium, Stachys and Campanula.

Addendum - Allysum

Alyssum montanum

Golden Yellow

June

Mat-Forming
 

6 x 18
(15 x 45)

Grey

Alpine House Cultivation Alyssum do well in Compost A (Equal parts of loam, leafmould and sand. This is a suitable mixture for plants which require a light, open, porous soil with good drainage. A good mixture for troughs in a sheltered position in part shade.) over good drainage.

Alyssum saxatile

Bright Yellow

April, May, June

Mat-Forming

12 x 36
(30 x 90)

Grey-White

Site design and content copyright ©July 2009. Page structure amended December 2012. Colour Wheel clarified January 2013. Feet changed to inches (cms) July 2015. Thumbnail and Comments added October 2015. Flower, Form and Foliage Thumbnails and Comments added to Index May 2017. Chris Garnons-Williams.

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