Townsendia Rothrockii

Description

This rare high alpine flower is endemic to Colorado in the USA where it lives in the snow-melt area. Here it makes low, tight cushions of thick, glabrous, slightly hairy leaves, with golden-eyed blue flowers that hug the cushion, opening on the shortest possible stems. This gem is more easily grown in the rock garden than T. hookeri, and it needs good drainage. But to obtain a prize-winning specimen for a show it will do best in the alpine house. Few good seeds collected.

Sowing Advice

Seeds can be sown at any time but are best sown in winter or early spring to benefit from a cold spell in the wet compost to break their dormancy. We advise covering seeds very thinly with sand or fine grit to about the depth of the seed size. If the seeds do not come up within 6 to 12 weeks the damp seed tray can be given cold treatment in a fridge for about four weeks. They may still take very many months to appear, so please never discard the pot or tray.

Key Facts