Edelweiss

These beautiful blooms are everything the song tolls, small and white, clean and bright. The actual flowers are tiny, coloured cream to yellow. It is the bracts that steal the show and they last for a long time. The small blooms are surrounded by fuzzy, silver white bracts. The beautiful bracts grow 3-10cm across.

The dark green leaves are covered in a soft fuzz. The plants will gradually form clumps. They look wonderful in rock gardens, alpine beds or in pots. The soil needs to be well drained as they tend to rot if left sitting in water, especially in winter dormancy.

Hailing from the rocky hillsides of the Alps it is very hardy to frost, Edelweiss is also tolerant of wind and becomes dry tolerant as it establishes.

Edelweiss or Leontopdium alpinum is the symbol of the Alps. In fact, in times of old suitors would prove their love by climbing the tall mountains to collect a flower for their love. The botanical name, Leontopdium is from the Greek for Lions paw. The common name Edelweiss has German origin, `Edel` meaning noble and `weiss` for white.

The song, Edelweiss was written by Rogers and Hammerstein for the musical The Sound of Music in 1959.

Supplied as: Pots