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James H. Schutte
Saxifragaceae
Tolmiea menziesii
Piggyback Plant, Youth-on-Age
Beautifully carpeting the forest floor from central California's coastal ranges northward to the panhandle of Alaska, piggyback plant is an evergreen herbaceous perennial that spreads to form a fine herbaceous groundcover. The glossy green triangular to heart-shaped leaves have shallow lobes and are covered in fine hairs. Where the leaf blade joins the petiole stem, miniature plantlets arise and root once the leaf topples and reaches the moist soil below. In late spring to early summer, rather subdued but tall spikes arise to display tiny pinkish copper flowers that are easily overlooked.
Grow piggyback plant in a woodland or foundation bed with humus-rich loamy soil and bright indirect light. It spreads widely to form a mat of leaves that remain evergreen but can be tamped down by heavy snows. It also looks nice in a hanging basket or grown as a houseplant. Indoors it appreciates cool growing spaces with bright indirect light. The popular selection, 'Taff's Gold', has leaves mottled with blends of chartreuse and gold while 'Cool Gold' offers pure gold foliage.
8 - 4
6 - 9
A3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Perennial
Partial Shade, Full Shade
12"-24" / 30.5cm - 61.0cm
3'-6' / 0.9m - 1.8m
Late Spring, Early Summer
Northwestern United States, Alaska, California, Canada
Acidic, Neutral
Average
Clay, Loam, Sand
Fast
Average Water
Mat-forming
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Insignificant
Pink, Copper
Green, Light Green
Green
No
Single
Yes
Medium
Glossy
Container, Foundation, Groundcover, Hanging Basket, Houseplant, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall
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