Read information about flowering time, toxicity and use in the commented chickweed profile here. Lots of tips about successful planting and proper Arenaria montana care.
What is special about chickweed (Arenaria montana)?
Sandweed (Arenaria montana) is a cushion-forming perennial with a height of 5-10 cm that bears white cupped flowers between May and July. The plant is non-toxic and hardy, it is particularly suitable for rock gardens, green roofs and as a bee pasture.
Profile
- Scientific name: Arenaria montana
- Family: Caryophyllaceae
- Synonyms: mountain sandwort, mountain sandflower
- Growth type: Perennial
- Growth: creeping, cushion-forming
- Growth height: 5 cm to 10 cm
- Leaves: evergreen, lanceolate
- Flowers: white cup flowers
- Flowering period: May to July
- Toxicity: not poisonous
- Winter hardiness: hardy
- Use: rock garden, green roof, bee pasture
Growth
Sandweed thrives as a delicate, evergreen or wintergreen cushion perennial with a lush flowering period. Among more than 300 species of chickweed, the robust mountain chickweed has emerged as the perfect choice for beginners in creative garden design. The following key data characterize the growth of Arenaria montana:
- Growth height: 5 cm to 10 cm, rarely up to 20 cm
- Growth width: 20 cm to 25 cm, rarely up to 30 cm
- Growth: prostrate, creeping, cushion-forming, densely branched
The growth facts worth knowing include solid winter hardiness of up to -28° Celsius and good tolerance of longer dry periods. The perennial has acquired these properties in its home regions, which extend across the rough mountains and barren areas of southwestern Europe from the Pyrenees to Morocco.
Flowers
Sandweed spreads out its radiant white carpet of flowers like a fluffy bridal veil. The picturesque flower fairy tale is formed from numerous individual flowers with these characteristics:
- Double perianth: 5 ovoid sepals (5-9 mm), 5 elongated petals (5-14 mm)
- Diameter: 1.5cm to 2.5cm
- Flower color: white with yellow center
- Flower ecology: hermaphrodite
- Flowering period: May to July/August
At the base of each flower, chickweed has a good portion of nectar ready as a reward for hard-working pollinators, such as wild bees, honey bees, bumblebees and butterflies.
Video: Admire mountain chickweed in all its blooms
leaves
Before and after the lush flowering period, chickweed provides a clear view of its delicate leaves. These are the most important identifying features:
- Leaf shape: elongated-lanceolate, entire margins
- Special feature: slightly rolled leaf edge
- Leaf color: dark green
- Texture: coarse to leathery, sometimes delicately hairy
- Arrangement: opposite
The mountain sandflower thrives as an evergreen in mild locations. The gradual arrival of the wintergreen leaves and the emergence of fresh leaves in spring occurs almost unnoticed by the viewer.
Toxicity
Sandweeds are not poisonous. Hobby gardeners with family gardens and pets appreciate this fact. Picking the pretty flowers, sniffing the white flower pads or tentatively nibbling on the evergreen leaves passes the child, dog, cat or hamster without a trace.
Usage
Numerous advantages make mountain chickweed an indispensable component for every planting plan. The wide spectrum of imaginative uses extends from decorative gap fillers to picturesque protagonists for beds and balconies. Get inspired by these tips:
| Sandweed Use | Tip |
|---|---|
| Rock Garden | flowering ground cover |
| Drywall | Cushion perennial for wall crown |
| Natural Garden | ground cover bee pasture |
| Roof garden | year-round green roofs |
| Balcony | Carpet of flowers under potted plants |
| Cemetery | Four-season grave planting |
| potted garden | beautiful as a solitaire in a small terracotta pot |
Planting chickweed
You can buy ready-made chickweed plants from the perennial nursery from spring to autumn. Sowing germinating seeds is interesting for hobby gardeners. When sown correctly, the upholstery perennials bloom in the first year. Read practical tips about successful planting in the following sections:
Propagate
Sandweed seeds are cold germinators. Only a cold stimulus lasting four to six weeks at -4° Celsius in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator overcomes the germination inhibition. If you want to save yourself the time-consuming stratification before sowing, buy the seeds as gold nugget seeds from jelitto.com or another specialist retailer. Growing them on the windowsill allows the young plants to grow better in the bed or pot. This is how it works:
- Fill seed trays or small pots with a mix of potting soil, sand and coconut hum.
- Place 2 seeds per cell or pot on the substrate and press them (light germinator).
- Spray seeds with rainwater or stale tap water.
- Put on a transparent hood or plastic bag.
In a bright window seat, the germination time is about a month at a constant 20° Celsius. After another four to six weeks you can prick out the seedlings. It will take another six to eight weeks before planting or potting.
Location
Sunny abundance and poor soil are the most important key data for the optimal location:
- Sunny location with at least 3 hours of direct sunlight daily.
- Sandy-dry, nutrient-poor garden soil, well-drained and often calcareous.
- Exclusion criteria: shady location, acidic pH value below 5.5, waterlogging, compacted, heavy clay soil.
So that the tender roots grow well in normal garden soil, preparatory soil cultivation is helpful. Work sand or lava granules into the soil before planting. A mixture of peat-free potting soil, sand and coconut fibers has proven to work well in practice as a pot substrate.
Planting – the best tips
Bought or pre-grown mountain sand flowers are easy to plant. The following tips provide a compact overview of planting time, planting distance and planting technique:
- The best planting time is in spring from the end of March/beginning of April.
- Enrich the excavation of the shallow planting pit with sifted compost soil and horn shavings as starter fertilizer.
- Plant chickweed as deep as before in the purchase container or growing pot.
- Plant spacing is 25 cm in the bed, 15 cm in the pot or balcony box.
- Spread a layer of expanded clay on the bottom of the pot as drainage.
Drought stress is the most common cause when sandweed does not grow after planting. For this reason, regular watering is important until the very short roots are well anchored in the ground.
Excursus
Combine chickweed creatively
With colorful plant neighbors, bright white chickweed stages a summer festival of colors. Combine the cushion perennial with red saxifrage 'Rosenzzwerg' (Saxifraga), sky blue blue cushions (Aubrietien), purple carpet phlox (Phlox subulata) and red and white gooscress 'Spring Magic' (Arabis blepharophylla). The floral dream team for the sun-drenched rock garden are purple-pink flowering lemon thyme and bright white mountain chickweed.
caring for chickweed
Sandweed is easy to care for. Correct watering plays a key role in the care program suitable for beginners. The frugal perennial is only fertilized every few years. Rejuvenation through division revives lazy mountain sandflowers. A light winter protection protects the frost-resistant perennial from fatal permanent wetness. This is how you care for mountain chickweed in an exemplary manner:
Pouring
From the day of planting onwards, competent watering makes an important contribution to the lush, richly branched growth of the prostrate shoots. Well-rooted, adult mountain sandwort can survive even longer dry periods without injuries. How to water mountain chickweed correctly:
- Rule of thumb: In dry conditions, it is better to water chickweed infrequently instead of sipping daily.
- Indication of need for watering: drooping leaves, noticeably dry soil (2 cm deep finger sample).
- Water quality: normal, often calcareous tap water, occasionally pond or rain water.
Fertilize
The recommended starting fertilizer covers the nutrient requirements for two to three years. Subsequently, it is best to fertilize the upholstered perennial with liquid liquid every three years using a commercially available flower fertilizer. Solid, organic fertilizer, such as compost or bark humus, must be worked into the soil with a rake, which could damage the prostrate shoots and tender roots.
Rejuvenate
Rejuvenation and propagation go hand in hand with upholstery perennials, such as mountain sandwort, saxifrage or blue cushion. How to do it right:
- The best time is in spring.
- Dig up the chickweed including the root ball.
- Place the perennial on a solid surface.
- Cut into segments with spade or knife.
- Cut off and dispose of aged, dried shoots.
- Plant each section in compost-fertilized soil at the new location and water thoroughly.
Until the rejuvenated ground cover has grown in the sunny location, please water regularly with a fine spray from the watering can.
Wintering
In winter, the mountain sand flower simply ducks away from the cold wind. In any case, bitter frost cannot harm the wintergreen leaves, which lie protectively over the root ball on densely branched tendrils. The cushion perennial should be prepared against constant winter wetness caused by rain or snow. This can be achieved with a cover made of brushwood or coniferous branches. If chickweed thrives in a pot or balcony box, please cover the container with fleece or bubble wrap. It makes sense to change location to a wall niche protected from rain and wind.
Popular varieties
The original species Arenaria montana provides the floral template for these beautiful chickweed varieties:
- Summer White: delights with a sea of white flowers and an extra long flowering period from April to August.
- Avalanche: petite premium variety with a height of 6-8 cm, which spreads an impressive 30 cm wide.
- Arenaria montana 'Blizzard': thrives up to 20 cm high and 30 cm wide in a sunny to partially shaded location.
FAQ
At what planting distance does mountain sandwort thrive as a blanket perennial?
Place mountain chickweed in the soil at a planting distance of 25 cm. For extensive greenery, plant 15 to 17 specimens per square meter. Don't be confused by the lost impression that the individual young plants give on the day of planting. Within a short time the gaps close with densely leafy tendrils.
Should you cut back chickweed after flowering?
Sandweed thrives as a cushion perennial and is not cut. After a hard winter, it is sometimes beneficial to cut off dried-out vines in early spring to make room for this year's fresh shoots.
Is chickweed poisonous to cats?
No, chickweed does not contain any toxic substances that could be dangerous for your pet. This makes the delicate cushion perennial the ideal candidate for decorative design in the family garden with pets.
What is important for proper Arenaria montana care?
Correct watering not only covers the current water needs, but also makes a valuable contribution to the growth of the roots. Water chickweed rarely, but thoroughly and thoroughly. In this way, the roots are encouraged to penetrate into the deeper layers of the soil and survive summer dry periods without damage.
Can mountain chickweed overwinter in pots and balcony boxes?
Mountain Sandwort is a perennial with extreme winter hardiness down to -28° Celsius. Overwintering in a planter is possible as long as the root ball is protected from frost and moisture. Cover the pot and balcony box with fleece. Place the containers on wood in front of the house wall and cover the substrate with brushwood.
