Androsace sempervivoides grows overlapping green leaves forming rosettes which, from the centre, produce pretty little pink flowers in spring.

Androsace are named for the greek ‘aner’ meaning man and ‘sakos’ meaning buckler due to the supposed resemblance of the anther (the male part of the flower) to an ancient shield.
A genus of 100 or so evergreen rosette or mat forming plants related to Primula but of a more xerophytic nature.
Androsace are some of the most desirable and beautiful alpines forming cushions of either tightly or loosely packed stoloniferous stems which are clad with hairs. In nature they live in mountainous regions of the Northern Hemisphere, the species above are from Himalaya and Kashmir where they live in rock crevices, scree or sparse turf.
In spring to late summer they produce umbels of flattish open faced flowers, often with a marked eye, over evergreen cushions of greyish leaves.

Androsace like open sandy or gritty soils in troughs, scree beds, walls or rock gardens in sunny open situations but enjoy mid-day shade or a north facing situation in very hot gardens. The species listed above are resilient and easy to grow.

Common Name: rock jasmine

Family: Primulaceae

Flowers: April-June

Height: 3cm

Spread: 15cm

Position: Easy to grow in gritty soil in full sun

Use: Rock garden, trough planting, crevice gardens