Description
Leontopodium – Edelweiss –
There are about 35 species of short lived perennial in this genus. They occur in grassland and stony habitats in the mountains of Europe and Asia. They have simple, lance shaped, smooth edged, hairy, mainly basal leaves. Upright stems carry compact, terminal cymes of small flow3eer heads consisting only of cream disk florets, surrounded by overlapping, pointed, leaf like, usually white felted bracts. Most species are suitable for a rock garden, raised bed.
Grow in sharply drained, neutral to alkaline soil in full sun. Protect from excessive winter moisture. Divide in early spring.
Prone to slugs and snails.
L. stracheyi – This mound forming perennial found from the Himalayas, mountains of India to Southwestern China grows 20″ tall and 12″ wide. It produces ovate-lance-shaped to linear leaves, to 1 3/4″ long, sparsely gray hairy above, gray downy beneath. In spring it bears short stemmed heads of glistening, yellowish white flowers surrounded by many white felted bracts, to 2 ½” across.
Zones 5-7
