London pride
Saxifraga x urbium ·
Neat, evergreen rosettes of leathery, scalloped leaves knit into a carpet, with clouds of tiny, starry, pale pink flowers on red stems in early summer.
- Size
- 10 in tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 5 to 7
- Light
- Part sun to shade
- Flowers
- Late May to late June
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Carpet
A bed built around london pride
The planner designed this bed around london pride when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why london pride stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 London pride × 8, pink
- 2 Jacob's ladder 'Stairway to Heaven' × 8, blue
- 3 Northern sea oats × 3, tan
- 4 Foxglove × 4, purple
- 5 Inkberry 'Gem Box' × 1, dark green leaves
- 6 False Solomon's seal × 3, white
- 7 Winter cyclamen × 12, pink
- 8 Yellow trout lily × 8, yellow
Why this plant
- Nothing here is unique to it. Its leaf, flower shape and colour are all on the plan already. Its case rests on where it stands and when it performs.
Why here
- Under the taller plants. It runs back between them as living mulch: there its job is to cover the soil, not to be looked at.
- 8 plants in 2 groups (5 and 3). Seen again further along, the same plant ties the bed together.
Why now
- In flower for five weeks. From late May to late June.
- Part of the bed's peak. With Jacob's ladder 'Stairway to Heaven', foxglove and false Solomon's seal in early June: 4 kinds at once. No week has more.
- One of two evergreens. They are what the bed has to show from November to March.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 6 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. For contrast, the bold leaves of foxglove sit beside the fine leaves of inkberry 'Gem Box'. The most in flower at one time is 4 kinds, in early June.
The planner's own design check: 14 Excellent, 2 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Foxglove is highly poisonous to people, dogs, cats and horses. Northern sea oats spreads aggressively.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where london pride goes in a border
At 10 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is low (6 to 12 in).
Its job: carpet. A groundcover planted in threes and fives to cover the soil: along the front, and just behind it.
The edging of English town gardens for three centuries, because it puts up with shade, soot and neglect. A tidy carpet for a cool, shady path.
- Evergreen edging for shady paths
- Town gardens
- Groundcover under shrubs
What to plant with london pride
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Lady fern: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; tall enough (2½ ft) to stand behind it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Hosta: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; bold leaves against its medium ones; spires rising out of its mound.
- Lady's mantle: in flower together for four weeks, from late May; tall enough (18 in) to stand behind it; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about london pride
Does london pride need sun or shade?
London pride grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun), part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does london pride grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 7. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Above zone 7 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does london pride flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late May to late June. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 5 | Late May to late June |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Mid May to late June |
| Zone 7 | Early May to mid June |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should london pride be planted?
12 in (30 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 18 in (45 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 10 in (25 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many london pride plants do I need?
At 12 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 12 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 11 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 38 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as threes and fives, along the front and just behind it.
In the bed above, the planner used eight in two groups.
Is there a native plant like london pride?
London pride is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Creeping phlox 'Sherwood Purple': the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers early May to late May, purple, not pink.
- Green-and-gold: the same job in a bed; 4 in shorter, flowers late April to mid June.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What flowers after london pride?
London pride is over by late June. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Astilbe: from late June to mid July, 24 in tall.
- Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall.
- Carpathian bellflower 'Blue Clips': from late June to late August, 8 in tall.
What does london pride look like in winter?
London pride keeps its dark green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
More Saxifraga
- Mossy saxifrage Saxifraga x arendsii
- Strawberry begonia Saxifraga stolonifera
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial (groundcover)
- Size
- 10 in (25 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 12 in (30 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Late May to late June; airy sprays; pink, white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Mat-forming, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 7
- Light
- Part sun, part shade, shade
- Soil
- Average, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- None needed
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.