London Pride - Saxifraga x urbium
by Yvonne Johnstone
Title
London Pride - Saxifraga x urbium
Artist
Yvonne Johnstone
Medium
Photograph - Digitally Enhanced Photograph
Description
London pride is an evergreen perennial tolerant of dry, shady conditions. It grows to a height of 15–30 cm (6–12 in) and provides rapid ground cover without being aggressively invasive.
In late spring it produces a profusion of pink-flushed white flowers borne in airy panicles on succulent stems. These rise above a dense, spreading carpet of rosettes with spoon-shaped, long-stalked leaves and scalloped margins.
It will grow well in neglected or unfavourable urban spaces where few other flowers flourish.
The name derives from the rapidly colonised bomb sites left by the London Blitz of the early 1940s. As such it is symbolic of the resilience of London and ordinary Londoners.
Uploaded
January 29th, 2021
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