Plant of the Week: Sedum

Stonecrop (Sedum sp.)

Sedum, or Stonecrops, are perennial, succulent plants that are a perfect addition to a rock garden or any dry location.  There hundreds of species of Sedum.  This means that there is bound to be at least one that will be a perfect match for your landscape and you!  I have xeriscaped a dry location in the front of my house using several species of Sedum.  It is a flower bed that is still in developement, but I am enjoying the variety in colors, textures and heights that the many species of Sedum have.

Sedum can be low growing like Gold Dust (Sedum acre) which get only about 3 inches tall. These make a great ground cover.  I have this particular variety planted in my Sedum bed.  It is petite with fine leaves and it roots where ever it touches the ground.  It spreads quickly and has pretty little yellow flowers in late June.  I am using this species as the base carpet in my flower bed.

Sedum hybridum is another common species that is a bit taller.  It gets about 9 inches tall according to the information I could find.  It has larger leaves and spreads by underground stems.  While it is spreading, it is not as aggressive as Gold Dust, but it too has yellow flowers that appear in June & July.  It adds some height to my Sedum bed around an old milk can.

I was given some Sedum this year by my mother that stands 12-18 inches tall and has green/greyish leaves that add a new dimension of color and height to my bed.  It will be flowering soon & I look forward to seeing what color it's flowers are. (The flowers ended up being a salmon/pink color & they lasted a couple of months!)  Some others in my bed have coppery red stems (probably Sedum spurium) and yet others have bright red flowers.  I just love the diversity of this genus!  :)

Sedum love full sun and well drained soil, but may need to be watered if you get less than an inch of water per week.  (I have planted my more water needy species close to the water valve so that they get the runoff from our water use.)  After a few years some Sedum will need to be divided.  It is best to divide them in the spring, but they will tolerate division at any time if you keep them well watered until they are re-established.

Take some time to check out the many varieties of Sedum and find those that will work well for you.  You can see more pictures and descriptions on-line.  I found the NDSU extension pictures helpful in identifying some of the species I have.

Happy Gardening!  :)