Wikimedia Commons
Saxifragaceae
London Pride
Saxifraga × urbium
Perseverance through hardship and city spirit.
- Family
- Saxifragaceae
- Genus
- Saxifraga
- Native to
- western Europe, Ireland
- Bloom season
- Late Spring, Early Summer
- Type
- evergreen perennial
- Height
- 15–30 cm
- Sunlight
- part shade to full shade
- Soil
- moist, well-drained, rocky
- Water
- medium
- Hardiness
- 5–7
- Lifespan
- perennial; long-lived groundcover
Did you know
- It famously survived and bloomed in the bomb craters of London during the Blitz, earning its patriotic name.
- Noel Coward wrote the song 'London Pride' in 1941 after seeing the plant growing in wartime rubble.
- The genus name Saxifraga means 'stone breaker' — these plants often root in cracks between rocks.
- It is a natural hybrid between two wild saxifrages, S. spathularis and S. umbrosa.
- The delicate flower sprays rise on wiry stems above neat rosettes, each tiny bloom dotted with red spots.
Color meanings
Pink
humble cheerfulness
White
steadfast hope