Youth On Age, Mother-of-Thousands Plant, Youth on Age Plant, Pickaback Plant
Tolmiea menziesii

Family: Saxifragaceae

What it is like

Bloom Color: Brown, Green. Main Bloom Time: Early summer, Late summer, Late spring, Mid summer. Form: Spreading or horizontal.

Tolmiea menziesii is an evergreen Perennial growing to 0.6 m (2ft) by 0.5 m (1ft 8in) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 7. It is in leaf all year, in flower from May to June. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) or semi-shade (light woodland). It prefers dry or moist soil.

Height (m): 0.6

Where it is found

Moist coniferous woods below 1800 metres, especially by streams.

Western N. America. Occasionally naturalized in Britain.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 1

Young shoots in spring - raw. Rather bitter.

Medicine

Rating: 1

A poultice of the fresh leaves has been used in the treatment of boils.

Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.

Other

Rating: 3

A ground cover plant for a shady position. Plants are best spaced about 60cm apart each way.

Ground cover: Ground Cover

How it is grown

Landscape Uses:Container, Ground cover, Rock garden, Woodland garden. A very easily grown plant, it succeeds in any good sweet garden soil that does not dry out in spring. Prefers a fairly rich and not too heavy soil. Requires some shade to prevent leaf-scorch. Succeeds in dry shade. Succeeds in the border or woodland. Although perfectly hardy in Britain, tolerating temperatures down to about -17°c, this plant is often grown as a houseplant because of its interesting habit of producing new young plants on its old leaves. Special Features: North American native, Inconspicuous flowers or blooms.

Propagating it: Seed - sow spring in a cold frame and only just cover the seed. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division of young plants in spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following spring.

Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; not Deep Shade; Ground Cover;

Habit: Perennial

Hardiness: 7-9

Growth: Medium

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Full shade, semi-shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Tiarella menziesii