Exposure Full-sun to partial shade
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Saponaria ocymoides. Height to 10-40cm (4-16"). Rock Soapwort is a favourite perennial for alpine and rock gardens. This semi-evergreen blooms from May to August with five-petaled pink flowers joined at the base to form a nectar tube that is highly attractive to bees. Provide good drainage. Try planting spring flowering bulbs beneath it so that their flowers and foliage rise above. The roots really can be used to make soap. Rock Soapwort looks marvelous in containers, but best in situations when it can trail and seed itself. Plant it in rock trough gardens to to grow on a rock wall.
Perennial
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Latin
Latin
Saponaria ocymoides
Family: Caryophyllaceae
Difficulty
Difficulty
Moderately challenging
Season & Zone
Season & Zone
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Hardiness: Saponaria is hardy to Zone 3
Starting
Starting
Start indoors in peat or coir pots 8-10 weeks before planting out. Alternately, direct sow in early spring or early autumn. For best results, place the seeds on the surface of pre-moistened soil, and tuck inside a plastic bag. Refrigerate for three weeks, and then provide bright light and a soil temperature of 21°C (70°F). Germination should occur in 10-21 days.
Growing
Growing
Transplant into dry, rocky soil in full sun or partial shade at 10-20cm (4-8”) apart. Water only during very dry spells, and do not fertilize. Cut back after blooming to keep plants compact. Saponaria plants do not transplant well, and they dislike wet soil over winter.
West Coast Seeds is a family-owned company that embraces an organic lifestyle. A group of imagination catalysts and passionate educators, dedicated to producing products and services that better the environment. As part of our mission to repair the earth, we aim to inspire and empower people to take responsibility for the state of the planet. For us, organic is about much more than saying no to chemicals, it is about saying yes to building a healthy soil for the future.
For over 35 years, we have upheld our strong reputation as a leading seed supplier, seeking out the highest quality untreated seeds for organic growing and putting them through rigorous independent testing. We built our company on the exchange of generational wisdom in a masterclass community of newbies and masters alike. Our world may have changed, but our commitment to our people, our customers, and our planet has not.
We’re a values-based business that has blossomed into a lifestyle ethos, with products that support seeders, feeders, keepers, and the tiniest of creepers. Our mission? To mobilize the next generation of gardeners with products that nourish soil and grow vigorous, sustainable gardens. We believe all plants should be grown without the use of chemicals, and that the seeds we supply are an important component of regenerative gardening.
We don’t just offer seeds, we offer experience, insight, and understanding. From timeless garden wisdom to new tech know-how, this is learning on the job: knowledge gleaned not from the pages of a book but from burying our fingers in the soil. We test, experiment, observe and adapt, never happier than when we get to share what we’ve learned with others.
Gardens don’t just grow seeds. They grow minds and imaginations, people and communities. Our vision encompasses both the micro and the macro. We eat locally, protect pollinators, teach people to grow from seed, and support regional biodiversity. We think big but act small and deliver unexpected impact — always with community and purpose.
At West Coast Seeds we believe in the power of small and that little can be large. Like the tiniest seed germinates to evoke incremental change with massive potential, so to can our community of gardeners and growers together. Gardeners are the earth’s stewards, planting seeds of creative declaration. The soil provides the canvas, we provide the seeds.
Start indoors in peat or coir pots 8-10 weeks before planting out. Alternately, direct sow in early spring or early autumn. For best results, place the seeds on the surface of pre-moistened soil, and tuck inside a plastic bag. Refrigerate for three weeks, and then provide bright light and a soil temperature of 21°C (70°F). Germination should occur in 10-21 days.
Transplant into dry, rocky soil in full sun or partial shade at 10-20cm (4-8”) apart. Water only during very dry spells, and do not fertilize. Cut back after blooming to keep plants compact. Saponaria plants do not transplant well, and they dislike wet soil over winter.
