Sedums: Easy-to-Grow and Wildlife-Friendly Plants for Every Season

Guest post by Sarah Gerhardt

Sedums are some of the most rewarding plants to grow in the garden. They thrive on neglect, happily grow in most situations and are easy to propagate. Their flowers are loved by bees and other pollinators. Today’s blog post takes a look at the many reasons why sedums may be the unsung stars of the gardening world.

Stonecrops and Ice Plants

There are around 500 species of Sedum in the family Crassulaceae. Sedums are perennial plants with thick, succulent leaves and fleshy stems. Their star-shaped flowers are arranged in tight clusters and appear in summer or autumn, depending on the variety.

Low-growing species of Sedum such as Sedum album are commonly referred to as stonecrops whereas larger sedums are known as ice plants or  border  sedums.  The  most popular cultivar of larger Sedums in Scottish gardens is probably Sedum spectabile ‘Autumn Joy’ (now reclassified as Hylotelephium spectabile ‘Autumn Joy’).

The low growth habit of stonecrops makes them an excellent choice for use as groundcover plants. Stonecrop is a fitting common name for these plants. They will grow in the crevices between stones and are so undemanding that probably only a stone would need less attention!

Stonecrops also look beautiful when trailing down a wall or cascading over the edge of a basket or flower pot. Many of the low-growing Sedums  are  evergreen  or semi-evergreen and their foliage provides all-year interest. Some stonecrops can be a bit delicate and will suffer if stepped on frequently.

Ice plants make great border plants. For a contrast in texture and height, pair them with plants with narrow lance-shaped leaves such as irises, red hot pokers or ornamental grasses such as Pennisetum. They also work well with Heuchera and Hosta. Combine autumn-flowering ice plants with Asters for a lovely autumn colour combination.

Growing & Maintaining Sedums

Sedum leaves are thick and fleshy because they can store water. This allows them to grow in very dry soils. Sedums prefer poor soils and full sun but will survive in a wide range of conditions. They tolerate air pollution which makes them suitable for city gardens in particular and they are rarely affected by pests and diseases. Stonecrops are an excellent choice for use on green roofs as they will need minimal care and will usually cope with strong winds.

Larger sedums can start looking a bit leggy after a while, especially if grown in rich soils or a position where they do not receive enough sun. Leggy plants are prone to flopping over after heavy rainfall.

To prevent legginess and flopping, cut your border sedum by about half to two thirds in early summer. This encourages them to branch out and become more bushy and compact. It will cause them to flower a bit later. Alternatively, you can perform the so-called ‘Chelsea chop’. It reduces some of the legginess and prolongs the flowering period of your sedums.

To perform the ‘Chelsea chop’ cut about half of the Sedum stems to ground level in about late May/June (around the time of the Chelsea Flower Show). The chopped stems will flower later and be less leggy, the uncut stems will flower as normal. In combination this increases the overall time that your sedums are in flower.

Propagation

Sedums are incredibly easy to propagate, especially the larger ice plants. Just cut off a stem of around  10  to  20  centimetres.

Remove any flowerheads or larger leaves and stick it in a glass of water where it will make roots within a few weeks. Once the cutting has produced a good amount of roots, it can be planted out directly. Mat-forming stonecrops and larger clumps of border sedums can be propagated by division in spring.

Great for wildlife

Sedum flowers are attractive to bees and other pollinators and autumn-flowering sedums are a particularly good choice in this regard. Some sedums still flower as late as November and thereby provide nutrition to late-flying bees at a time when a lot of other nectar sources have finished.

At the end of the season, the seedheads of border sedums dry out and remain on the plants. and provide shelter to insects over winter. The sedum seeds and the insects inside the seadheads are a food source for birds. The seedheads can look fantastic with a bit of snow and frost on them, adding some great winter interest to the garden.

Many different varieties

Sedums come with foliage of various shades of green as well as shades of gold, bronze and purple. The fleshy leaves are often of unusual shape and texture which makes them attractive in their own right. The star-shaped flowers can have many different colours such as white, pink, yellow and red.

For example, Sedum hispanicum var. minus is a mat-forming stonecrop with tiny blue-green fleshy leaves that become flushed pale red in low temperatures. Cream-white, star-shaped flowers appear in summer.

Sedum acre is native to the UK and another mat-forming stonecrop of around 10 cm in height. The leaves are egg-shaped and arranged closely around the stem. It produces yellow flowers in summer that are bee magnets.

Hylotelephium telephium (Syn. Sedum telephium) is a larger ice plant that grows up to 60 cm tall. The leaves are an attractive grey-green colour and the dense clusters of dark pink flowers appear in late summer and early autumn.

Gardeners are spoiled for choice when it comes to Sedums. The low-growing stonecrops are captivating with their unusual, intricate leaf shapes, while the larger iceplants stand out with their stunning, vibrant flower clusters. Both types are adaptable and wildlife-friendly which makes them valuable, low-maintenance additions to the garden.

About the author: Sarah Gerhardt is a gardener, linguist and punk musician based in Edinburgh. She was head gardener at the Dean Gardens, Edinburgh for 9 years and runs her own gardening business Gerhardt’s Garden Service. Find out more via her Linktree: https://linktr.ee/gerhardtsgardenservice