I put 2 new saxifrage plants in my rockery this year. They have flowered well but the flowers are now seeding. Should this plant be cut back as it is becoming straggly or should I leave it to die back naturally?
The early flowering porophyllum types need the dead flowers removing from the rosettes, very carefully so you do not pull out the rosettes themselves. The silver Saxifrage types (flowering now with sprays of white or red spotted, occasionally pale yellow flowers) can have the old sprays removed, but the rosette which produced them will die. When it is dry you may carefully take it off, but again be gentle so as not to uproot the new baby rosettes. All other types have the old flowering stems cut back to the point of origin.
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What kind of Saxifrage?
The early flowering porophyllum types need the dead flowers removing from the rosettes, very carefully so you do not pull out the rosettes themselves. The silver Saxifrage types (flowering now with sprays of white or red spotted, occasionally pale yellow flowers) can have the old sprays removed, but the rosette which produced them will die. When it is dry you may carefully take it off, but again be gentle so as not to uproot the new baby rosettes. All other types have the old flowering stems cut back to the point of origin.
Not sure of the variety. One has white flowers and the other pale pink. They have flowered throughout the spring but are now seeing.