Plant care & info

Family: Crassulaceae

Genus: Sedum

Origin: Sedums are native to the Northern hemisphere, with around 400 species coming mostly from mountainous areas.

Plant in full sun and well-draining, poor to moderate soil. Sedum is drought-tolerant but appreciates some water at flowering time.

Shrubby-type sedums need to be cut down to the crown in the late fall once foliage starts to look bad. It can also be done in the spring if the seed heads are left for winter interest. The shrubby-types might need staking if they are in too rich of soil. Creeping sedums benefit from having the flower heads cut back to maintain their shape.

Because of their diverse looks and sizes, they fit many roles in the garden or as container plants. Many ground cover varieties are evergreen or semi-evergreen, while the taller sedums die back to the ground to re-emerge as cute rosettes in spring.

Easy to propagate from stem cuttings. Detached leaves will even root and form new plants.

Snails and slugs can be a problem early in the season.

Their drought resistance and ability to thrive in shallow soil has helped them become stars of green roofs and living wall designs. Their range of foliage, color, and texture also make Sedum perfect for living art such as hanging pictures and wreaths. If you want your creations to have year-round interest, it is best to choose from the creeping varieties listed below, all of which are evergreen or semi-evergreen here in Portland.

Sedums are commonly called stonecrops because they are often found growing on and amongst stones. Whether it is a low-growing ground cover-type sedum or an upright shrubby-type sedum, they all have fleshy succulent leaves of various sizes, colors, and shapes. Most bloom in the summer or fall with flowers of yellow, white, or pink.

The flowers are excellent for attracting butterflies and bees—and make a good cut flower too. If you’re looking to plant a drought tolerant, easy care, attractive garden, consider planting sedum along with other easy-care grasses, coneflowers, asters, and penstemon. There are also some varieties of native sedums that are very, very cool.

Explore More Stonecrop

acre

Sedum acre

Goldmoss sedum is a fast growing ground cover, reaching 2-5 inches tall with upright branchlets of tiny pointed leaves. This sedum originates from Europe, Turkey and North Africa. ‘Aureum’ has pale green leaves with yellow tips and bright yellow flowers. Zone 5.

album

Sedum album

White stonecrop has small, elongated, jellybean-like leaves and white summer flowers. It grows 4” tall and 12” wide. Many varieties turn bright red with cold or stress. Common varieties include: ‘Coral Carpet’ (exceptional red winter color), ‘Chloroticum’ (pale green leaves), and ‘Murale’ (bluish tint to foliage and pink tint to flowers). Zone 4.

brevifolius

Sedum brevifolius

Miniature, round leaves along 1” stems.

confusum

Sedum confusum

This species offers a bold texture with large, rounded leaves forming rosettes atop 3-4” stems. Yellow flowers are produced in late summer and fall. Grows 6-8” tall and 18-24” wide. Mexican in origin. Zones 7-9.

dasyphyllum

Sedum dasyphyllum

A mounding sedum with blue-green, pebble-like leaves topped by small white flowers. Grows 2-4” tall and 8-12” wide. Mediterranean in origin. Zone 8.

Old man bones sedum

Sedum divergens (Old man bones sedum)

Short, chubby green leaves are stacked on top of each other in a criss-cross pattern. Bright yellow flowers in summer. Grows 2-4” tall 12-24” wide. Native to Oregon. Zone 4.

glaucophyllum

Sedum glaucophyllum

Rosettes of bluish, spoon-shaped leaves form mats up to 4” tall and 12” wide. White flowers. Zone 5.

laxum

Sedum laxum

A native sedum with large, pink-edged, spoon-shaped leaves. Pink summer flowers. Zone 8.

lydium

Sedum lydium

Tufted rosettes of green leaves turn red in winter. White flowers. Grows 1-4” tall. Tolerates part sun. Zone 5.

Ogon

Sedum makinoi ‘Ogon’

This is one of the few sedums that tolerate the shade, but will also take sun. It has bright, yellow-gold round leaves and yellow flowers during the summer. It makes a great tight ground cover reaching 1-3 inches tall. It spreads to about 18 inches and is semi-evergreen. Zone 7.

oreganum

Sedum oreganum

A native sedum. Dark green shiny leaves are topped by yellow flowers in late summer. Grows up to 6” tall in full to part sun. Zone 5.

orgonense

Sedum orgonense

Another native that forms rosettes of blue-green, rounded leaves. Pale yellow flowers reach 6” tall. Full sun to light shade. Zone 5.

reflexum

Sedum reflexum

A feathery sedum forming tendrils of spruce-like branches. A fast spiller over container edges and rock crevices. Yellow flowers appear in July. Grows 4” tall. Tolerates part shade. ‘Green Spruce’-Green needle-like leaves. Zone 6.

Angelina

Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’

An evergreen, mat-forming ground cover for sun that grows about 6” high and spreads about 2’ across. The species has gray-green, needle-like leaves and yellow flowers during the summer. Zone 4.

Six sided stonecrop

Sedum sexangulare (Six sided stonecrop)

Six sided stonecrop has chubby, elongated green leaves spiraling up 3-4” stems. Sprays of bright yellow flowers in summer. Zones 2-9.

Spoon leaved stonecrop

Sedum spathifolium (Spoon leaved stonecrop)

Native spoon leaved stonecrop produces blue-green, rounded leaves of fleshy rosette. Grows 6” tall and 24” wide. Clusters of yellow flowers in late summer. Red tints in winter. Zone 5.

spectabile

Sedum spectabile

There are many cultivars of showy sedum originating from China and Korea. It grows about 18 inches tall and wide. It produces upright or slightly spreading stems and roundish, 3 inch leaves that die to the ground in the winter. In late summer and fall, these plants are adorned with large domes of flowers in shades of pink. They’re about 6 inches wide and both bees and butterflies love them. These might need staking if the flower-heads get too heavy. Zone 4.

‘Autumn Joy’ is a hybrid between Sedum telephium and Sedum spectabile. It is an upright shrubby sedum reaching 1-2 feet tall and 2 feet wide.

The green leaves are rounded, 2-3” long and wide. In the autumn, the plant is topped with mounds of pink flowers that age to a coppery pink and eventually turn to a rust color. It dies back in winter. Zone 3-10.

Sedum spectabile ‘John Creech’ produces tight green foliage that turns burgundy in the fall. ‘Tricolor’ produces green leaves with cream and red edging. Zone 4.

spurium

Sedum spurium

Semi evergreen with rosettes that persist at the end of the stems through winter. Grows about 4” tall, spreads well, and is good for covering banks and slopes. Pink or magenta flowers appear in summer. ‘Dragon’s Blood’ has plum-red leaves and magenta flowers ‘John Creech’ has tight green foliage that turns burgundy in the fall. ‘Tricolor’ produces green leaves with a cream and red edging. Zone 4.