London Pride, I didn’t buy it or plant it, the truth is, it was (handed down to me)

Performance in our garden

In all the years we spent in Aberdeen, we never did have London Pride in the garden.  Surprisingly, as it is one of the first garden plants which I can recall.

Between the age of about seven and ten I was always fascinated  with my grandparents garden. The front garden was well planted up with HT Roses which my grandfather spent a lot of time tending. Round the back was a good size patch reached by going down a small flight of steps. First thing you came across was the old Rowan Tree to the left with an equally old garden bench underneath it.

Then you would come to the lawn which grandma used as her clothes drying area. The real garden lay ahead,   to the right of the gravel path they had the vegetables and fruit, all in neat rows, and to the left, were  the flowers also planted in rows, as or as may not have been the habit in the early fifty’s.

Well, anyway I cant remember the names of the flowers, many of them were colourful,  one day whilst in the garden with grandma, I enquired as to the name of the plant which filled one of these rows, (London Pride) she told me.

She asked me if I liked it, not really I said, I guess I couldn’t see the point of this plant as everything else seemed so large and colourful.  What I do know is it stuck in my head and was one of the few plants which I could name until I reached my twenties.

Here we are, now living in Cheshire and one of the handed down to me plants is (London Pride) which today I discovered was named Saxifraga x Urbium.

In the front garden it is planted at the back of both sides of the curved bed.

Guess what, I like it, looks very healthy, flowering well and evergreen, and it is  here for good.

Plant information

The small frothy panicles of pale pink single blooms are carried on slender stems reaching a height of about 30cm/12 inches above ground   Evergreen rosettes of glossy foliage  are an added attraction.

The flowers started to open in early May and now on the 7th of June are still looking good but reaching the end of the flowering period.

Position and soil type

London Pride performs best in full sun and will tolerate light shade. Grows in any reasonable soil that is free draining. Having said that the soil in our garden is heavy and not all that free draining. However they are planted in a slightly raised border where the soil seems to have been improved.

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 We have been here for six months now and its beginning to feel like we are finally getting settled in. The garden is starting to take shape although the interior of the house is still like a battle field. Here below is a little of what’s been going on

New paving slabs have been fitted to the paths at the front, and also patio areas in the back garden.  The rickety old arch fell to bits, as was expected, and we put up this new sturdy metal one in its place.  The white Clematis Montana on the right hand side had to be cut right back, however its making fresh growth and I expect it will benefit from this rejuvenation.

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My mini garden shed arrived flat pack a few weeks ago. Reasonably easy to assemble although I am not all that happy with my fitting of the doors.

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The main patio area is just outside the back door, this small seating area above, we have just finished feeking up, and I am very pleased with it.  At the top of the garden it catches the sun for the best part of the day.

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The back garden has been receiving a lot of attention this past couple of weeks. We have reshaped the lawn, making the borders a fair bit wider. Loads of  planting has been going on with many perennials, Roses, and shrubs. Not quite finished as yet but I am happy with the progress.

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