Creeping saxifrage (Saxifraga stolonifera) is a perennial that keeps on giving. Plant one out in your garden and before you know it, you will have thousands of them. As a houseplant, it is just as generous but much more controllable— though you’ll still have to watch out for it crawling into bed with its neighbors. This saxifrage has very attractive leaves reminiscent of begonia/geranium foliage, and it grows just like a strawberry, sending out runners in every direction that take root and grow new plant- lets. Plants spread rapidly, forming mats from 6 to 8 inches tall and 12 inches wide. Leaves are nearly round, about 4 inches across, and dark green, with beautiful silver veins and pink to purple-red undersides. Some cultivars have maroon leaves. The starry, delicate, 1-inch-wide flowers are white with tiny pink to red freckles on the three small, pointed upper petals. The two lower petals are four times longer than the upper petals, pure white, and pointed. Flowers appear in May and June and are carried on 2-foot-long stalks in loose, open clusters well above the foliage. Grown in a hanging basket, creeping saxifrage will have lots of red runners cascading down around the sides of the pot. These form new little plantlets at their tips, and the overall effect is lovely. Even in a pot sit- ting on a windowsill, the runners will form little plantlets that sit on the sill all around the feet of the mother plant.

OPTIMUM HOUSEHOLD ENVIRONMENT

Read the Introduction for the specifics of each recommendation.

MEDIUM LIGHT.

This plant does well with dappled or filtered light. Keep it out of direct sun because the foliage burns easily in hot sun.

LOW TEMPERATURE.

Daytime 65 to 75°F, nighttime 55 to 65°F.

MODERATE WATER.

Water whenever the top of the potting medium becomes dry to a depth of 1 inch.