September - Sedums

Sedums

Also known as stonecrops, sedums are easily maintained plants which provide blue-green rosettes of foliage and small bright colours throughout the summer and are really useful for areas of the garden which have poor soil.

There are around 400 recognised species of sedums; all are succulents; which means that they have adapted to store water; in the sedums’ case it is stored in their fleshy leaves.

Drought resistant and fully hardy, sedums prefer full sun and poor soil. If grown in a fertile soil, they will grow quite leggy and require staking, and as they are quite brittle, there is the likelihood that their stems could flop over and break.

A striking addition to any garden, towards mid-summer, flat tightly-packed heads of green buds form, opening later in the year to reveal masses of tiny bright flowers which are extremely attractive to butterflies, insects and especially hoverflies.

The most popular of the larger garden sedums is probably sedum spectabile. Also known as the ice plant, these are at their peak in September. The dark leaved varieties such as Purple Emperor tend to be at their best a month earlier.

Low growing sedums form excellent planting partnerships with alpines, especially if you are considering a rock garden, raised bed or scree garden. As sedums don’t generally grow much taller than half a meter with similar spread, they are great for container planting, too but remember to raise your pot off the floor and allow plenty of drainage.

Divide your sedums any time between September and November when flowering is over. If left undisturbed, the dead flower heads can be left on to provide winter interest. Sedums look especially beautiful when dusted with frost.