Succulent sedums
With their varied beauty, versatility, ease of propagation and carefree maintenance, sedums have a place in every garden. The nickname “stonecrop” is apt, as many wild species grow in rocky environments, though sedums occur in a wide range of habitats throughout the Northern hemisphere. Not surprisingly, many sedums thrive in rock gardens and handle drought with poise. Sedums, which all are succulents, comprise about 420 species. The most familiar sedum variety is probably ‘Autumn Joy’, which has a neat, mounding form (to 3 feet), light blue-green leaves and large pink flowerheads in autumn that fade to a lovely rust color. Lesser known but becoming more available in the retail trade are creeping and trailing sedums. Many have intricate leaves, enticing color variations and often bizarre-looking forms—like something you’d expect to see attached to a coral reef. An invaluable source of information on the many species and varieties of sedums is Sedum: Cultivated Stonecrops by Ray Stephenson. An outstanding Web site with color reference photos is at www.sedumphotos.net