Fraser

Saxifraga stolonifera

Creeping saxifrage, Mother of thousands, Strawberry begonia

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• Fraser likes...

  • 

    Regular watering

    In spring and summer when Fraser is growing strong and fast, you want to keep his soil moist but not soggy. You can cut back a bit over winter. Water from below.

  • 

    Medium light

    Fraser prefers filtered light and shadier spaces so a north-facing window or a bookshelf on the far side of a sunny room would be perfect for him.

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    Pruning

    Pinch off any yellowing or browning leaves regularly to keep your plant healthy. You can keep, cut off or propagate from its plantlets.

• Quick facts

  Botanical name

  Saxifraga stolonifera

  Nickname

  Creeping saxifrage, Mother of thousands, Strawberry begonia

  Plant type

  Indoor

  Plant height (including pot)

  30-40cm

  Pet/baby safe

  Yes

  Nursery pot size

  14cm

• About Saxifrage

  It might be considered ‘old fashioned’ to some, but the Creeping saxifrage is an unusual trailing houseplant worthy of any collection. Its saucer-shaped, grey-green leaves have distinctive veining, reddish undersides and are covered in fine hairs. 

  Saxifrage stolonifera gets at least one of its common names – Mother of thousands – from the fact that, just like a spider plant, it sends out overground stems called stolons at the end of which it produces new plantlets. This makes it very easy to propagate! Simply prepare a pot of free-draining potting compost, water it, and place it next to the pot with the mother plant in. Gently pin down some plantlets to the soil. It shouldn’t take long before they send down roots into the compost, after which you can cut the stem that links them. 

  This plant's native range spans China, Korea and Japan, where it grows at high altitudes in habitats as diverse as forests, meadows and rocky areas. In the wild it would spread itself out and cover the ground, but we grow ours in a pot so that its stems and plantlets can hang daintily over the edge. 

  If you’re lucky (and look after it well), in late spring your Saxifrage will produce long stalks topped with sprays of starry white flowers. 

  Did you know?

  In Japanese cuisine, the leaves of this Saxifrage are sometimes used cooked or raw. It’s also considered to have medicinal properties.