A fine species, now with many varieties grown for their coloured foliage. They all make spreading mats of soft foliage, and in autumn produce stems with many five-petalled starry flowers, usually white but pink in some varieties. They are good in moist, acidic soil in sheltered, partially shaded places.

Saxifraga fortunei 'Wada' is a vigorous variety with tall sprays of the starry white flowers, over leaves suffused with red.