The delicate rock stone herb bears the botanical name Aurinia Saxatilis and belongs to the cruciferous family. It is particularly popular because of its unpretentiousness and the intense yellow flowers; the flowering period extends from spring to the beginning of summer. With a timely pruning, it can even be encouraged to re-bloom in late summer. The sun-drenched rock stone herb is particularly suitable for the alpine rock garden and can also be used for planting walls and stone cracks.
Location & plant substrate
The Aurinia saxatilis comes from the mountain regions of Asia Minor, Southern and Central Europe and can also be found in the wild as a neophyte in Germany in some regions. The plant needs a predominantly sunny location and dry to fresh soil, partial shade and deep shade are not tolerated at all. The following criteria are decisive for the location and the plant substrate:
- Prefers a sunny to full sun
- Places with min. 4-6 hours of sunshine
- Moderately moist to dry soil is ideal
- Especially suitable for slightly sandy dry beds, bed borders and rock gardens
- Feels very comfortable in stone structures, cracks in walls, rock stairs and stone joints
- Also suitable as a ground cover for barren soils
- Needs well-drained and loamy, humus-rich soil with as little nitrogen as possible
- Drain the substrate well before planting
- Tolerates neutral, alkaline and slightly acidic pH values
- Can handle most normal garden soils
Tip: The rock stone herb can be planted excellently as a bee pasture if the gardener is also active as a beekeeper and there are beehives in the garden. Due to the early flowering, it is an important source of nutrition for the hard-working insects in the beginning of spring.
Sowing, planting & propagating
The rock stone herb is available as a pre-bred plant in specialist shops, but it can also be grown by sowing it yourself. Propagation is easy to do with cuttings and usually leads to good results. The following aspects must be taken into account when sowing, planting and propagating:
- Distance of at least Keep 40 cm to other plants
- Can be planted at any time as long as the ground is not frozen
- Sow seeds in autumn or spring
- Root cuttings from the head at the beginning of summer
Tip: It takes about 6 months for the Aurinia saxatilis to grow well, during which time it is Plant relatively sensitive and needs special care, especially regular watering respect, think highly of.
Watering & fertilizing
In the rock stone herb, neither the water nor the nutrient requirements are particularly high, the frugal plant usually comes with the
cope well with the existing rain volume and the nutrients in the soil:- Rainfalls are usually sufficient, no further watering is required
- Only water in addition if the dryness lasts for a long time
- Stale rainwater is ideal
- Tolerates short periods of drought, but does not tolerate permanently dry soils
- Prefers rather nutrient-poor soils
- Do not use additional fertilizers, the flowering will be weaker if too many nutrients are given
- In the case of extremely nutrient-poor soils, occasionally use pond water as a fertilizer
- Work some compost soil into the bed in autumn
- Tolerates a bit of drought, but absolutely no waterlogging
Flowers, leaves & growth
Aurinia saxatilis pleases the gardener with a long-lasting bloom, the best conditions for exceptionally vigorous growth are a dry and well-drained soil and a very sunny one Location. The rock stone herb forms deep tap roots and is therefore not particularly easy to transplant to another location. The following criteria play an important role in the flowers, leaves and growth:
-
Yellow flowering plant with an overhanging habit - Cushion-like and clumpy habit, broadly branched
- Subshrub-like growth, somewhat woody at the beginning
- Height between 10-25 cm, in exceptional cases it grows up to 40 cm
- Width approx. 10-30 cm
- Grows quickly and vigorously, quickly forms dense cushions
- Small flower umbels with a deep yellow color and extreme luminosity
- Golden yellow, wheel-shaped and four-fold flowers with hermaphrodite properties
- Wintergreen foliage with finely hairy and tongue-shaped stems
- Gray-green leaves, simply and alternately arranged, approx. 7-10 cm long
- Flowering time from April to June, with mild winters already from March
- Bears paniculate grapes from April to May, also called pod fruits
Cut
The rock stone herb must be pruned periodically, otherwise it tends to overgrow and become lignified. In addition, the plant can be stimulated to re-bloom with a skilful pruning:
- Start pruning after flowering
- Plant on approx. cut half to a third
- First cut off the flower stalks down to the foliage, then reduce the entire plant
- Always at least Leave 10 cm of the remaining stock
- Make the cut less deep if the plant is heavily lignified
- Extremely rotten to flowering cut back heavily in autumn
Overwinter
Due to its origin in mountainous regions, Aurinia saxatilis has hardy properties and is therefore ideal for the often harsh winters of the local latitudes:
- Frost hardy plant with evergreen leaves
- Withstands temperatures down to -23 ° C
- In extremely wet and cold rain phases, protect against too much moisture, drain the soil well
Diseases & pests
Incorrect care and unsuitable site conditions can quickly lead to an outbreak of diseases and an infestation with pests. The following aspects must be taken into account:
- Vulnerable to honeydew
- Curled leaves and galls indicate aphid infestation
- Wash the leaves with soapy water
- Use biological pest control, e.g. Parasitic wasps and predatory mosquitoes
- Use insecticides only in extreme emergencies
Conclusion
The rock stone herb is a frugal plant that does not have any great demands in terms of care. As a rule, it gets by with the existing rain and the nutrients in the soil and can be left to its own devices. During the flowering period, the cushion-like subshrubs shine with a golden-yellow sheen and beautify every garden area. Since flowering begins quite early and can be extended by pruning it correctly, gardeners can enjoy this plant for a long time. Use is only required when pruning, so that the Aurinia saxatilis does not become blooming, too lignified or even start to grow wild in the garden. It is important to prevent waterlogging, which can be avoided with drainage laid before planting. Although the flowering plant does not need daily care, it should still be checked regularly for diseases and pests. These problems creep in quickly with improper care and incorrect site conditions.
