Purple saxifrage or Purple mountain saxifrage, Saxifraga oppositifolia, is a species of cushion forming, growing to 3-5 cm high, hardy, evergreen perennial, alpine plant that produces attractive, cup-shaped flowers in spring. The flowers are solitary on short stalks, almost stemless, deep red-purple to pale pink or white, 1015 mm across, growing above the cushion of small leaves.
It is one of the first spring flowering plants, often flowers while the snow is melting, continuing to flower during the whole summer in areas where the snow melts later. The leaves are small, 5 mm long, rounded, scale-like, opposite in 4 rows, fringed with tiny hairs to capture heat. This is an ideal plant for a rock garden or stone trough.
It prefers a place in full sun, with light, well-drained soil. It can grow on very rocky ground. It dislikes wet conditions so a gritty free-draining compost is a must. It can be grown outside in the garden in very dry spots, but is often best to be grown in pots of free-draining compost. If you are going to plant it in the garden, surround plants with a thick layer of grit to prevent waterlogging around the crown of the plant.
Propagate purple saxifrage by sowing seeds in autumn in containers in an open frame. You can also propagate it by division of plants in spring or by detaching individual rosettes and root as cuttings in late spring or early summer.
