Propagating edelweiss &

Growing edelweiss in your own garden is possible, even if you don't live in the mountains. Here we explain what you should pay attention to.

Hardly any other plant is as symbolic as the edelweiss (Leontopodium). It adorns the coat of arms of the German and Austrian Alpine Clubs, is used by many mountain rescue services and can be found on various coins. The edelweiss is the official brand mark of Haflingers and even a beer brand has the edelweiss in its name. The edelweiss is still considered a very special and very rare plant. However, breeding has made it possible to bring edelweiss into your garden. In this article, we explain how edelweiss grows best there and what you need to consider when caring for edelweiss in the garden.

Edelweiss: Origin, heyday and characteristics

Edelweiss originally occurs in Asia, in Mongolia, in Tibet and in the Himalayas. The perennial came to Europe around 100,000 years ago, where it can now be found mainly in the mountains at an altitude of between 1,500 and 3,500 meters. The species Leontopodium alpinum is mainly found in the Alps and Pyrenees. The plant grows there on barren, stony subsoil as well as on nutrient-poor blue grass meadows because it is quite adaptable.

Edelweiß is usually 10, maximum 20 centimeters high, with an unbranched stem with densely hairy leaves. It grows in clumps and forms low, small cushions. The white "blossoms" of the edelweiss, so admired by so many, are actually not composed of petals at all, but of high-set leaves, so-called bracts. Only on closer inspection do you discover the actual yellow flowers within these bracts. They are clustered in 2 to 12 flower heads, one of which can contain up to 500 flowers. Edelweiss flowers between June and September.

The white, felty hairs on the bracts of edelweiss represent an adaptation to the high altitude, because the increased UV radiation not only harms us humans, but also plants. Thanks to their dense hairs, edelweiss can render almost all UV radiation harmless. On the other hand, light with wavelengths suitable for photosynthesis reaches the surface and its energy can be used by the plants. At the same time, the felty hair reflects a lot of light, which attracts the insects needed for pollination. A sweaty smell also attracts pollinators, making edelweiss a bee-friendly flower. Not only bees and other insects like the special appearance, but also us humans. So "edelweiss tourism" has almost completely eradicated the typical alpine flower. The stock is only slowly recovering thanks to various protective measures. For this reason, edelweiss found in the wild should never be picked.

Another special feature is the different coloring of the edelweiss depending on the location. The lower the position in which the edelweiss grows, the larger it gets, but the bracts are usually less white and hairy, so that the whole plant appears more greenish.
The edelweiss is hardy to at least -23 °C.

The most beautiful species and varieties

Before you can plant edelweiss in your garden, you have to choose a species and then a variety. If you want a native plant, you should plant a variety of Alpine Edelweiß, but there are also some interesting varieties from the original distribution area in Asia.

Alpine edelweiss (Leontopodium alpinum): This is the species native to our mountains. The Alpine edelweiss is growing about 20 cm high and forms small cushions of about 20 cm in diameter.

Alpen-Edelweiß (Leontopodium alpinum 'Matterhorn'): The 'Matterhorn' variety grows very compact and branched, but is large and footprint about the same as the species.

Alpen-Edelweiß (Leontopodium alpinum 'Mont Blanc'): 'Mont Blanc' is a particularly early flowering edelweiss variety, which is also characterized by very large flowers. It also grows to about 20 cm in height and forms cushion-like clumps of about 20 cm in diameter.

Alpen-Edelweiß (Leontopodium alpinum 'Blossom of Snow'): The edelweiss variety 'Blossom of Snow' is about is a new breed. The up to 30 flowers per plant are striking. In addition, 'Blossom of Snow' grows up to 40 cm taller and a nest diameter of about 40 cm more sprawling than the other edelweiss species and varieties presented here.

Chinese Dwarf Edelweiss (Leontopodium souliei): This species of edelweiss differs from the Alpine edelweiss in the sense that it grows lower and forms lawn-like cushions that are densely covered with flowers in summer. You can find the varieties 'Alpine White' with a height of 5 to 20 cm or 'Mignon', which grows to a maximum height of 10 cm.

Plant Edelweiss

If you want to plant edelweiss in the garden, the right location is essential. It should definitely be sunny and have a calcareous, permeable but not too dry, humus and nutrient-poor and stony soil. For example, the edelweiss feels very comfortable in rock gardens. Both seeds and young plants are commercially available.

Procedure when sowing edelweiss seeds to encourage seedlings:

1. Time: possible indoors from March in bowls or pots.
2. The seeds need a cold stimulus to germinate. Purchased seeds are usually already stratified. However, if you want to be on the safe side, put the seeds in a bag or jar filled with damp sand and leave them in the fridge for about 2 weeks.
3. Prepare your seed tray by filling it with moistened, nutrient-poor soil, such as our Plantura organic herbs and potting soil, which should be thinned with about 20% sand.
4. The seeds of the edelweiss are spread over the earth. However, do not cover them, just press them gently: edelweiss germinates under light.
5. At 15 to 18 °C, the germination period is about 15 to 20 days. It is important that the seed remains consistently moist during this time. A mini greenhouse or a film that is put over the cultivation container prevents it from drying out too quickly.
6. After 6 to 8 weeks, the young plants can be pricked out in plant beds or individual pots, which should also be filled with rather nutrient-poor soil. Small edelweiss plants need earlypricked out, as protruding young plants often fall victim to fungal diseases.
7. Acclimate young edelweiss before planting. To do this, place the transplanted seedlings outside for a few hours a day for a period of two weeks.

Planting edelweiss in the garden

Regardless of whether you bought it early or bought it, there are a few things to consider when planting in the garden:

Time
Purchased edelweiss plants can be planted out in spring or autumn. If you have grown the plants yourself, they are ready for planting out in the bed in autumn.

The right location for edelweiss plants
Since a naturally suitable location for edelweiss plants can only rarely be found here, a little help is usually needed. If you own a rock garden, you have a clear advantage as long as you can offer the edelweiss a sunny spot. Edelweiss can also be planted in normal garden soil. However, this should first be made more permeable and leaner by adding, for example, our Plantura lawn sand in a ratio of 1:1. Good drainage combined with constant humidity are very important for edelweiss to thrive. Therefore, care should be taken to ensure good drainage in the subsoil. Soil that tends to waterlogging can be helped with a layer of gravel or grit at a depth of 30 cm.

Tip: Owners of snail-infested gardens can also be happy, because the unloved garden comrades don't like edelweiss and only eat it if they can't find anything else. Therefore, edelweiss can be counted among the snail-resistant plants.

The right planting distance
For most of the edelweiss species and varieties mentioned in this article, a planting distance of about 20 cm is sufficient, which means about 25 plants per m² results. However, the distance between plants should be 25 cm for the Chinese dwarf edelweiss and even 40 cm for the Blossom of Snow variety. Edelweiss should be planted individually or in small groups of 3 to 5 plants in order to show off to their best advantage.

What's next?
Water the young plants well after planting them in the ground. Especially in the first, but also in the following winters, you should protect your edelweiss from frost, for example by covering it with brushwood.

Edelweiss in a pot

Edelweiss can also be planted well in pots. This usually works even better than in the garden, since you canbetter control site conditions.

1. A planter made of a natural material such as clay is best, because it allows water to evaporate more easily. It should also have drainage holes and a diameter of at least 20 cm.
2. Fill the bottom of the container with a drainage layer of at least 10 cm made of gravel, expanded clay or grit.
3. As a substrate, we recommend mixing our Plantura organic universal soil with sand in a ratio of 1:1. It is also beneficial to add a few coarser stones and some lime, for example from our organic lawn and garden lime.
4. Plant the edelweiss in the ground and water it until the water runs out of the pot.
5. The pot should definitely be placed in a sunny spot on the balcony, terrace or in the garden. Unfortunately, edelweiss is not suitable as a houseplant.

The most important care measures

In good locations, edelweiss requires almost no maintenance. Even though Leontopodium alpinum appreciates a constant water supply, it tolerates short dry spells better than waterlogging. When watering edelweiss, you should therefore be more cautious, but also not forget the plant completely.

Edelweiß grows best on poor soil. Fertilizing edelweiss or even adding compost would do more harm than good.

You don't have to cut back Edelweiss either. If you want to prevent edelweiss from self-seeding or want to keep your garden tidy, you can cut back all faded stems just above the leaf rosette in autumn. For seed production, flower heads can also be left on the plant over the winter and only removed at the end of winter. Basically, when cutting edelweiss, you can always remove everything that has dried and died.

Since edelweiss prefers calcareous soil, some lime can also be worked into the soil every 2 to 3 years. However, this should only be done if the soil pH value has been determined beforehand. Because too much lime can also be harmful. On sandy loam soils, for example, about 180 to 240 g of lime per m² should be applied every three years.

Is edelweiss hardy?

Leontopodium alpinum is hardy down to a temperature of -23 to -28 °C. That means there is usually nothing to worry about in our gardens. The problem of winter for us is rather the moisture, because Edelweiss does not tolerate this and its roots can begin to rot - all the more soit is more important to create effective drainage when planting. When edelweiss overwinters in pots, however, the plants should be protected from frost, because the cold temperatures reach the roots faster and can damage them. Pack your edelweiss in a pot with jute bags or fleece, for example. In addition, it can be placed on an insulating styrofoam or wooden board. The plant should not be placed indoors, as there is too little light here and it is also too warm.

Propagation

Edelweiss can be propagated by seeds or, more easily, by division.
For propagation by seeds, you should not cut the edelweiss in autumn, but leave the flowers on the plant. Around February, the seeds that have experienced a natural cold stimulus in this way can then be harvested and sown as described above.

Since edelweiss plants form clumps, they are virtually predestined for propagation by division. To do this, part of the nest, which should have at least two shoots, is cut off in spring or autumn and transplanted to a new location. Sharing has the added benefit of also rejuvenating the mother plant and encouraging new growth. However, depending on growth, edelweiss plants should only be divided every 3 to 4 years when they have developed plenty of shoots and roots again.

Preserving and using edelweiss

For harvesting and preserving edelweiss, only flowers from your own garden or garden center should be used, because specimens found in nature are protected. In July, the flowers of the edelweiss are usually fully developed and can be harvested from now until September. Simply cut off the flower stalks just above the leaf rosette. To dry, the edelweiss flowers can be spread out on newspaper, for example, and placed in a warm but shady and dry place. Check and turn the flowers every few days. Alternatively, some flowers can be tied together by the stems and hung to dry. As soon as the leaves no longer feel soft and rustle dry, they are ready and the dried edelweiss can go into dark storage boxes.

Edelweiß was used for stomach pains, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal complaints as early as the 16th century. The curative effect has now also been proven by studies that ascribe certain ingredients of edelweiss an antibacterial effect, for example against enterococci, coli bacteria or staphylococci. Furthermore, extracts of edelweiss are said to have an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect. In a study, a substance was also extracted from edelweiss roots that is effective against vascular wall thickening and can therefore be used to treat vascular wall diseases.

A well-suited accompanying plant for edelweiss is, for example, the usually blue-flowering gentian (Gentiana). For more plants that go well with edelweiss, check out our list of the top 10 plants for rock gardens.