Arenaria ‘Blizzard’
Arenaria ‘Blizzard’ is a crisp, snow-white ground cover perennial that brings a delicate yet striking contrast to garden borders, rockeries, and gravel paths. With masses of pure white, star-like flowers over a mat of fine green foliage, this compact evergreen is ideal for softening hard landscaping, adding brightness to sunlit areas, or filling gaps between stones. Easy to grow and drought-tolerant once established, it’s a reliable choice for gardeners seeking charm with minimal effort.
Quick Facts
Type: Evergreen perennial
Common Name: Sandwort
Flower Colour: Bright white
Height: 25cm (0.8ft)
Spread: 30cm (1ft)
Flowering Time: May to July
Hardiness: Hardy in the UK down to temperatures of -15 to -10 degrees Celcius (RHS hardiness rating H5)
Position: Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Well-drained, sandy, gritty or poor soil; dislikes winter wet
A Blanket of Snowy White Blooms
From late spring into midsummer, Arenaria ‘Blizzard’ produces a dense flurry of pure white flowers that sit gracefully above its low, mat-forming foliage. The blooms are small and delicate, but their abundance creates a brilliant visual effect, lighting up gravel beds, stone walls, or the front of a sun-drenched border.
Low-Growing and Tightly Formed
This variety grows in a compact, spreading cushion, forming a soft green carpet that hugs the ground. Its tidy, non-invasive habit makes it an excellent choice for edging paths, filling narrow borders, or spilling gently over the edge of containers. It also looks stunning tucked into crevices or between paving stones where it can weave through the landscape naturally.
Evergreen Texture All Year Round
Even outside its flowering season, Arenaria ‘Blizzard’ continues to add structure to the garden with its fine, mossy evergreen foliage. The needle-like leaves form a lush green mat, helping to suppress weeds and maintain visual interest through autumn and winter.
Perfect for Rock Gardens and Dry Spots
Thriving in well-drained, poor to moderately fertile soils, this plant excels in conditions where others may struggle. It is especially well-suited to alpine settings, raised beds, gravel gardens, and anywhere that benefits from a low-maintenance ground cover with a soft touch.
Wildlife-Friendly and Easy-Care
While compact in form, the nectar-rich flowers can attract early pollinators such as bees. Its fuss-free nature and resilience in dry, sunny spots make it a brilliant choice for gardeners who prefer plants that look after themselves once settled.
Growing Tips
Watering: Water thoroughly during the establishment phase. Afterwards, only water during prolonged dry spells.
Feeding: Not required in poor soils. For potted plants, apply a light general-purpose feed in spring.
Pruning: Lightly trim after flowering to encourage dense growth and maintain shape.
Potted: Perfect for shallow troughs or stone planters with gritty, free-draining compost.
Propagation: Easily propagated by division in spring or autumn, or by softwood cuttings.
Hardy and Weather-Resistant
Fully hardy across the UK, Arenaria ‘Blizzard’ withstands frost and challenging weather with ease. It prefers dry, well-drained conditions and benefits from protection from excessive winter wet, particularly in heavy clay soils.
Companion Planting Ideas
Create a textured, colourful display by pairing Arenaria ‘Blizzard’ with other sun-loving, low-growing perennials such as:
These plants offer extended flowering periods and contrasting foliage, making them ideal partners for a cohesive and attractive planting scheme.
Why Choose Arenaria ‘Blizzard’?
For an elegant ground cover that offers bright, snow-white blooms and evergreen charm, Arenaria ‘Blizzard’ is a must-have. Ideal for rockeries, gravel paths, containers, and cracks between paving, it delivers understated beauty and year-round appeal with virtually no maintenance required.
Choose Arenaria ‘Blizzard’ to brighten your sunny spots with a burst of floral snow and a soft, green cushion beneath.
Buying Alpines from Jacksons Nurseries
At Jacksons Nurseries we lightly trim back our alpines after flowering to ensure that the plants remain neat and tidy whilst in the pot. The more tender the plant the less we cut back to help protect exposed stems from winter frost. Depending on the plant variety we will then prune back further in spring once the risk of the more severe frosts is over.
As a result, depending on the time of year you buy alpines, they may not look like images showing their ‘prime time’ in flower and looking at their best.
Availability: Stock availability figures are provided as a guide only. There is a delay between orders being placed and the plants being gathered by our pulling team. During this time it may be possible for a member of the public to purchase these plants from our Garden Centre, while this is rare it is a possibility and we will notify you of any problems as soon as possible. This figure may also include plants that have not yet be flagged as unsaleable.
Pre-order: Pre-order times are given as a guide only and may vary dependent on the growing season. Orders containing Pre-ordered products will be shipped as a single order when all items become available. Large orders may be part shipped, please contact us on 01782 502741 or email
orders@jacksonsnurseries.co.uk.
From late autumn onwards and dependant on variety, there may be very little visible above the soil except for a few cut back dormant leaves or stems. It is perfectly normal for dormant plants to look like this from autumn onwards, they will however burst back into life in spring.
Alpines are a group of perennials that generally grow in rocky conditions at high altitudes.
As for all plants, soil preparation is time well spent. Dig over the area to be planted ensuring that the ground is free draining. If not then you may wish to either consider planting in a different spot or raising the level of the planting area by adding additional topsoil, well rotted garden compost and/or well rotted manure. Add ‘Fish, Blood and Bone’ fertiliser or a high potash fertiliser to encourage good root growth and development.
It’s always a good idea to plant a few of the same plant together, we recommend planting in 3’s or 5’s to provide a bold effect but allowing them plenty of room to develop.
By using this simple guide and a little time, alpines can make an absolutely spectacular difference to your garden.
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