Share:

Sedum plants or Stonecrops are succulent plants that have found their way into the American landscape. Perennial sedums come in two distinctly different forms. Upright sedums or upright sedums hold their flowers atop strong upright stems, and creeping sedums trail along the ground or hang down over the edges of containers and can often be seen acting as "spillers" in mixed containers.

Upright sedums do not spread like creeping sedums. The clumps do increase in size year after year, producing more and more flowering stems each spring. The spreading sedums spread through growing roots on the stems when they come into contact with the ground. Creeping sedums are not considered invasive and can often be used as a ground cover in rock gardens or sunny mixed gardens

Choosing the Best Sedum varieties for your Landscape

Upright Sedums: The upright or clumping sedums are best used in the middle layer of a good landscape design. They can reach heights of up to 2 feet when in flower, and the succulent leaves have a pleasing blue-green color which can be used to cool warmer colors like the red coloration of heuchera leaves.

Upright Sedum, like Sedum Autumn Joy Sedum, begins flowering in the late summer, and the flowers remain upright through the winter. This gives the sedum the ability to create winter interest, and the flower heads look great with a covering of snow.

Creeping Sedums: The creeping sedum types can often be seen covering large areas in the garden. They grow well with other perennials and are often seen with other perennial plants growing up through the mats of colorful foliage. Many gardeners also use sedums to soften the edges of raised beds or container plantings.

Trailing sedums, like Sedum fuldaglut,  are excellent choices for rock gardens as they will meander over larger stones and outcroppings. Creeping sedums come in a myriad of colors, from red and yellows to soft blues and greens.

Both types of sedums thrive in dry conditions where other plants may not grow. We always say that "Sedums will grow where others will not," making this a plant that thrives on neglect.

Ground Rules

Light

All sedum varieties thrive in full sun. Sedums will tolerate some afternoon shade, be sure that sedums get 4 to 6 hours of full sun. If grown in shaded areas, sedums may not flower as vigorously as those grown in full sun.

Water

Sedums are extremely drought tolerant. They store water in their fleshy leaves, allowing them to survive in periods of extended drought. Sedums are good choices for xeriscape and, once established, will require no additional water. This makes sedums perfect for use in mixed containers that may not receive watering regularly.

Soil

Sedums prefer well-drained soil and will not tolerate standing water or areas that stay wet in the winter. Excess moisture can cause the root ball to rot.

Food

Sedums are not heavy feeders and only benefit from a spring application of fertilizer such as Espoma Flower-tone, for example. Choose a well-balanced fertilizer and try to avoid fertilizer that contains high amounts of nitrogen as this can cause the plants to develop lots of foliage but at the expense of flowering.

Temperature

Sedums are very hardy, and most can tolerate cold weather down to Zone 4.

Toxicity

All members of the sedum family are considered non-toxic to both humans and pets.

Mulch

Sedums do well with a light coating of mulch. We recommend no more than one inch around sedums. Sedums are just as happy with a mulch of gravel as they are with organic mulches.  Too much mulch can cause the base of the sedum to rot.