Leontopodium; better known as Edelweiss, is a hardy short lived herbaceous perennial, best suited to rockeries, scree beds and alpine houses.
It grows to around 200mm (8") high with a similar spread, and generally the papery white flowers appear in June / July.
The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) |
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Cultivation;
Week 8; Sow commercial seed in pots/trays of 50% fine grit and 50% potting compost,
lightly cover, and germinate at a temperature of 18°-20°C (64°-68°F)
Alternatively; Sowings of ripe seed collected after flowering, can be made around Week 28-30
Sow the ripe seed in a similar compost and place in a coldframe to germinate.
Week 14; If conditions allow plant out previous years seedlings in a sunny well drained, alkaline site.
Note; they resent a wet root system.
Add some grit to planting area when planting out in heavy soil to alleviate this problem .
They will also benefit from some form of overhead cover (cloches) in wet seasons.
Week 18; Prick out seedlings into individual 70mm (3") pots or cell trays and grow on in a cold frame until planting out time the following year.
With summer sown seeds; prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter.
Circa week 28-30; Lift and divide established plants if required.
