Pimpinella saxifraga
Burnet-saxifrage
Common names: Solid-stemmed burnet-saxifrage
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 30 cm, rows 40 cm
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Sowing
- Apr, May, Aug, Sep
- Harvest
- Jun–Sep
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −20 °C
- Water need
- Low
- Origin
- Native to Germany
Photo: Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen · Public Domain · Source
Description
Pimpinella saxifraga, commonly known as the small burnet or meadow burnet, is a wild-growing herb that thrives on lean meadows and dry slopes. It produces white, feathery flower heads that open from June to August, attracting wild bees and other insects. The plant is well-suited to sunny, dry corners where other herbs struggle to survive.
Care instructions
Choose a sunny, relatively dry spot with a lean, well-drained soil. Water sparingly; the plant does not tolerate wet, loamy soil. Sow in spring or late summer (around mid-May or late August) and allow several weeks for germination. Trim spent flower heads to control excessive self-seeding if desired. The plant requires minimal care and is hardy in winter, surviving harsh frosts without protection.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingApr–May, Aug–Sep
HarvestJun–Sep
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 5 °C, ideally 12 °C
- Days to sprout
- 21 to 60 days
- Light
- Sprouts in light or dark
- Sowing depth
- 0.5 cm
- How to start
- Sow straight into the bed
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, lean, dry, lime-loving
Burnet saxifrage loves dry, lean soils with good drainage, as you know them from dry grassland and wayside verges. Soil that is too rich in nutrients or too damp makes it struggle and prone to rot. A sunny spot with chalky, stony ground comes closest to its natural habitat.
Feeding
Light feeder
As an undemanding wild plant, burnet saxifrage needs no additional fertilising. A thin application of compost in spring is entirely enough; more would even weaken the flavour. It feels most at home if you keep the soil rather barren.
Overwintering
Burnet saxifrage is hardy and survives German winters outdoors without trouble. The foliage dies back in autumn, and in spring the plant reliably grows again from the rootstock. It needs no winter protection; a dry site protects it from waterlogging anyway.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
- Division
The easiest way is to grow burnet saxifrage from seed, which you sow directly in place in spring or late summer. It is a light-germinating seed, so only press the seeds down lightly rather than covering them with soil. Older clumps can also be divided in spring, but then establish more slowly than freshly sown plants. Once the burnet saxifrage feels at home, it likes to self-seed in the bed.
Companion planting
Good neighbors
amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae)
Umbellifers and alliums confuse each other's pests (carrot fly, onion fly).
For example GarlicOnionLeekChivesWild daffodilRocambole and 12 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
daisy family (Asteraceae)
Calendula and Tagetes next to carrots keep the carrot fly away with their scent.
For example Head lettuceFrench marigoldCalendulaSunflowerButterhead lettuceCommon coneflower and 73 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
cabbage family (Brassicaceae)
You can pair celery and dill with all Brassicaceae because they repel the cabbage whitefly with their scent, a proven companion.
For example White cabbageKohlrabiRadishKalebroccolicauliflower and 41 more species in the catalogue
Source: Bio-Gärtnerei Mixed-culture Practice
legume family (Fabaceae)
Peas and beans provide carrot and celery with nitrogen and grow as shallow-rooted plants without competition next to each other.
For example PeaBush beanPole beanBroad beanSnow peaWrinkled pea and 36 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
For your garden
Grow Burnet-saxifrage yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
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