My mother grew up in northeastern Italy, just over the Austrian border near the Alps, where edelweiss grow wild along steep rocky ledges. When I was a child, she told me stories about the elusive white flowers, and about local legends of young men dying after climbing and falling from the cliffs while trying to pick edelweiss for their beloveds.<\/p>\n
I know that\u2019s pretty dark territory for a gardening column to veer into \u2014 and probably for a child\u2019s bedtime story, too \u2014 but the good news is you can try growing the star-shaped, velvety flowers without risking life, limb or nightmares.<\/p>\n
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This image provided by Edelweiss Perennials shows an edelweiss plant in bloom. (Edelweiss Perennials via AP)
\nEdelweiss might grow nicely in a rock garden<\/p>\n
Edelweiss (Leontopodium alpinum), which translates as \u201cnoble white\u201d from German, has some very specific requirements endemic to its native range: alkaline rocky or sandy soil<\/a> that drains well, low soil fertility, full sunlight and cold winter temperatures. If you can replicate those \u2014 and you likely can in the lower-humidity areas of horticultural zones 4-7,<\/a> you can grow edelweiss. The plant gives bonus points to gardeners at high elevations.<\/p>\n Sow seeds outdoors in late fall to provide the stratification<\/a> \u2014 or winter chill \u2014 that they require for germination. Or plant pre-chilled seeds in early spring (the package label will tell you whether seeds have been stratified). Either way, press the seeds into the soil to ensure contact, but don\u2019t bury them. They will sprout in spring and begin blooming in spring and summer of their second year.<\/p>\n Alternatively, you can purchase starter plants, if you can find them, for transplanting into the garden right after the last frost date in spring. They should bloom after planting.<\/p>\n Water the plants regularly throughout their first year as their roots become established. After that, they will seldom need supplemental watering.<\/p>\n The plants, which can survive temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit, thrive in barren, nutrient-poor soil, so don\u2019t fertilize them unless they\u2019re growing in a container, and even then, only minimally.<\/p>\n Even if you never grow edelweiss, chances are you\u2019ve made its acquaintance through its namesake song<\/a> by Rodgers and Hammerstein in the 1965 movie \u201cThe Sound of Music,\u201d which cemented it into pop culture.<\/p>\n \u201cBlossom of snow, may you bloom and grow,\u201d the song says.<\/p>\n And, despite luring young men to attempt foolish feats of bravery, the tiny flower has inspired generations of gardeners, hikers and movie lovers.<\/p>\n Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for The Associated Press. She publishes the Weekly Dirt Newsletter. Sign up here<\/a> for weekly gardening tips and advice.<\/p>\n