Are you a huge fan of Sedum x ‘Autumn Joy’?
For the past decade I’ve found every reason to use this plant, with no doubt or second guessing how well it will perform each year, or how much I will love seeing it change with the seasons.
This Sedum hybrid – ‘Autumn Joy’- is a favorite for its fall flowers. It’s also a favorite for it’s winter seed heads.
But by late winter, early spring (depending where you live) it’s time to remove the old flower heads, and let the plant renew from the tiny rosettes peeking out from the soil below.
Then the cycle for this herbaceous perennial begins again. This time with new growth forming fleshy succulent grey green stems in early spring.
Growing Details for Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’
Family: Crassulaceae
Size: 1 to 2 feet tall. 2 feet wide.
Flowers: 4 to 6 inch round heads comprising masses of starry flowers start out as pale pink in late summer turning a reddish pink in fall to a rusty red late fall to winter.
Propagation: You can make more of this plant easily by dividing it in the spring or autumn. Another option is to take a piece of the stem or root and plunge it directly into the soil. No preparation is needed.
BIRDS LOVE IT IN WINTER FOR THE SEED HEADS. BEES AND BUTTERFLIES ENJOY IT ALSO…
How to Grow: Easy to grow. Does best in well drained, poor soil. In fact, you will likely experience floppiness if the soil is too rich or too wet. Full sun to part shade.
Landscape Uses: Mixed border. Excellent companion with low-water using ornamental grasses. Good for mass planting. Succulent garden design.
Hardiness: Zones 3 – 9
Pest Disease and Deer: Aphids
Happy Gardening,
Nicole
p.s. If you’re interested in Sedums, succulents and drought tolerant plants, a good book on the subject is The Plant Lover’s Guide to Sedums
– by Brent Horvath. 🙂
What the New York Times Book Review says about this book:
“Visual and informational candy for people who are passionate about plants.”
