This excellent group of rock garden plants is known as the section Ligulatae, or more commonly as the silver or encrusted saxifrages, in recognition of the deposits of lime that line the leaves. They all have rosettes, large or small depending on the variety, and have relatively large panicles of flowers, usually white. They come from rocky places in the mountains, some on limestone and some on acid rocks.

Saxifraga 'Tumbling Waters' is one of the most dramatic rock garden plants, guaranteed to make a stir when it is in flower. The rosettes consist of long, narrow, lime-encrusted leaves, and after a couple of years or so they decide to flower. And how. A stem arises, and then arches over under its own weight, covered in pure white flowers. A group of them, strategically planted, can really give the impression of a waterfall. The flowering rosette then dies, but usually there are several young rosettes, waiting for their turn.