Description

Arenaria – Sandwort

There are about 160 species of annuals or low growing perennials that may become shrubby like, with age, in this genus.  They occur from mountainous, arctic and temperate region of the Northern Hemisphere with a few from the Southern hemisphere.  These are a somewhat evergreen plants, which bears deep green or gray-green opposite pairs of small, linear to ovate leaves.  They bear solitary or few-flowered small cluster of 5 petalled usually white flowers.  Great plant for a rock garden, alpine house, or in scree bed or for growing in crevices. There frost hardy plants are easily grown in moist well-drained, sandy poor soil in full sun.  Divide in spring. Prone to rust and anther smut occur. Arenaria Montana – This vigorous low growing evergreen perennial from the mountains of Southwestern Europe grows up to 2” tall and spreads to 6-12” wide.  From wiry prostrate or upright stems it carries larger than most leaves and flowers.  The linear to lance shaped grayish green leaves ½-1 ½” long.  In early summer it bears shallowly cup shaped white flowers with yellow-green centers are ½-1” wide are freely borne singly or in few flowered cymes. Zones 3-8