With upwards of 500 different Sedum varieties, this Crassilaceae family member, also commonly known as Stonecrops, are now offered in so many colors, growing zones, and sizes for the home gardener and commercial landscaper to choose from!
Sedum is a perennial with thick, succulent leaves, fleshy stems, and usually star-shaped flowers. Some have fun, colorful leaves and others are simple and succulent looking! These specimens are extremely versatile!
They work great as a focal point for your garden, a ground cover, a container plant, or a replacement for grass! They fight against weeds, forming dense mats that choke out unwanted plants. Plus they save water, are xeric and drought-tolerant, and are even great for drawing pollinators and Firewise landscaping!
Types of Sedum
The two categories Sedums plants are divided into are low growing and upright.
Low-growing varieties are shorter, ground-hugging and spread wide, making them perfect as a weed-blocking groundcover. People love to place these in cottage gardens or in between garden stepping stones. Use these creeping plants to cover dangerous and hard-to-mow hillsides and slopes. They’re known for being amazing green roofs as well!
Upright Sedum forms in clumps that grow vertically and don’t spread too wide. These are popular for perennial borders or even planting in pots! Adding upright long-lasting color to Rock gardens, dried and cut flower beds, or in tough firescaping landscapes
What are the Best Sedum?
You’ll definitely want to treat your yard to some Sedum! There are many different colors, needs, and possibilities when you plant Sedum. Luckily, we have a few different kinds to show you!
Angelina Sedum
This sun-loving specimen is unique and gorgeous! It fits in with any garden as the colors are bright green and yellow. It is a prostrate form with Spruce-like new growth that points upward as it spreads or drips over the edge of pots or rocks. In the fall, they have an incredible orange color!
Angelina (Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’) is also drought tolerant and the yellow star-shaped blossoms attract butterflies! It’s also quite easy to grow! It tolerates most soil types as long as it's well-draining!
Keep in a full sun location! It also only requires cleaning up in early spring to prepare for the best growth possible! This perennial grows well in USDA zones 4-9, so if this works for you and you want a gorgeous, groundcover, this one is for you!
Autumn Joy Sedum
Looking for a little color in your life? The Autumn Joy Sedum (Sedum spectabile ‘Autumn Joy’) is your answer! This perennial offers gorgeous, rosy-pink dense clusters of flowers that grow on top of the deep green foliage. The flowers grow in clumps creating a cute shape for any landscape.
Autumn Joy is also very drought tolerant! It also prefers well-drained soil, but it does like staying a bit drier than normal. This will help the flowers stay upright! They also love a full sun location!
Once open, there is never a single moment that goes by without a bee or butterfly busily visiting these flowers!
The pink flowers age to crimson and russet before turning to dark brown during the winter months where they remain highly ornamental all during the dormancy. During the winter months, the seed heads turn a dark brown color and look amazing dusted with snowfall!
It grows in hardiness zones 3-9, which cover a majority of the United States. Order yours today for a pop of low-maintenance color.
Lime Zinger Sedum
This groundcover is unbeatable! The Lime Zinger Sedum (Sedum SUNSPARKLER® ‘Lime Zinger’) is drought tolerant, deer resistant, and chokes out the weeds to keep your yard looking snazzy! Its appearance is a unique combination of bright green with red borders, creating a sleek and welcoming look! It blooms with soft pink flowers in the late summer and fall seasons. The flowers look gorgeous on top of the bright green foliage.
Like the others, this is an easy-to-maintain perennial! Provide it with as much sun as possible, to help it produce more flowers! They also like well-drained soil and don’t require much water.
Lime Zinger grows in zones 4-9. Plant this in your landscape to add a gorgeous groundcover color!
Some Truly Unique Options:
Double Martini Sedum
Unique selection with long upright red stems with small green leaves along their length, this is a visually high impact two-tone perennial that will provide incredible interest even when not in flower!
SUNSPARKLER® Plum Dazzled Sedum
Dramatically dark, almost black, purple-stained deep green leaves of this selection add intense drama to the garden bed or border!
What is the Hardiest Sedum?
These are some incredibly hardy plants overall but some of the most notable for cold hardiness are:
- Rock 'N Low™ Boogie Woogie Sedum
- Red Carpet Sedum
- Rock 'N Grow® Back in Black Sedum
Some of the most notable for extreme heat tolerance are:
- Lemon Ball Sedum
- Blue Spruce Sedum
- SUNSPARKLER Firecracker Sedum
Growing Sedum in Containers?
Because they prefer drier conditions, Sedum does great in terracotta and clay pottery and planters with excellent drainage. Depending on the size of your container, nearly any kind of Stonecrop will thrive in a pot.
Choose an upright Night Embers Sedum for upright growth and dramatic dark reddish-purple foliage and dark pink blooms, or a colorful Sedum Lemon Drop to cascade over the edges.
The high contrast Sedum Atlantis™ sets the stage, or mix it up with the Sedum Mat that features many varieties of ground-hugging spiller plants!
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Sedums like sun or shade?
Sedum does amazing in both full sun and partial shade, however, you’ll enjoy way more blossoms and deeper coloration when they’re planted in at least 6 hours of sunlight a day!
Does Sedum spread quickly?
The widest spreading Sedum include Coraljade, Night Embers and Back in Black. Autumn Joy and Lemon Ball, Red Carpet and Dragon’s Blood are among the fastest-growing Sedum.
Does Sedum come back every year?
Sedum are hardy ‘tender’ perennials meaning the tops die back in winter and then regrow in full, bigger and better each spring. Clean the mounds in late autumn after the stems and leaves have died back.
Where is the best place to plant Sedum?
Sedum offers spring, summer and fall interest. Sedum foliage is attractive during the growing season and many of them are adorned with beautiful flowers in early fall. Some Stonecrop sedums are left standing during the winter months and the plant stalks add a vibrant appearance to a winter landscape. Along with a beautiful plant, the added benefit of sedums is the butterflies they will attract.
In terms of easy to care for, low-maintenance groundcover, this genus is a rockstar. Enjoy your time planting, growing, and spreading your favorite Sedums!
Happy planting with help from NatureHills.com!
