So Many Sedum Varieties

Sedum (sometimes now called Hylotelephium) is a large genus of plants, many of which are hardy to USDA Zone 3. Whether you plant creeping or upright sedum, there are many sedum varieties to grow in northern gardens.

A Large Family

The sedums we grow in our gardens are part of a large family of succulent plants called stonecrops or Crassulaceae. Most originated in China but some sedum are native to North America, including Sedum ternatum, which is native to areas from Pennsylvania to Arkansas and thrives as far north as Iowa. The stonecrop family includes more than 400 species and, because sedum are popular with gardeners, there are dozens of sedum varieties, with new ones introduced each year.

Many northern gardeners have grown Autumn Joy, an upright sedum that is extremely hardy, though a bit prone to flopping. In addition to upright sedum, you can also choose creeping sedum.

Creeping sedums tend to grow 4 to 6 inches tall and spread easily, making them an ideal plant for between stepping stones or on the edge of a rock garden. These groundcovers are drought tolerant and can handle difficult soils. They rarely need fertilizer and offer a late-summer bloom. Creeping sedums come in a variety of colors from bright gold to deep purple. One of my favorites is the bright chartreuse ‘Angelina’. Listed as hardy to USDA Zone 3, Angelina will spread 1 to 2 feet across, and the foliage turns orange-gold in fall. Another advantage: both rabbits and deer leave it alone.

Sedum to Grow in the Flower Border

Upright sedums are wonderful plants for the middle of any sunny flower bed or border. They emerge fairly early in the spring, looking like dainty little cabbages. The plants grow to 1 to 2 feet tall and their flower heads start out green before turning pink, rose, russet and then brown in late fall. Bees adore most sedum varieties! Most upright sedum are covered with bees from July through the fall. Butterflies and moths also may settle on sedum blooms. Leave the seedheads standing through winter to provide a place for snow to land. You’ll often see birds enjoying seeds from the plant, too.

Newer sedum varieties have stiffer stems to prevent flopping. The stem and foliage colors include purple and dark red as well as green or variegated. Here are just a few of the sedums you may find at nurseries or at the Minneapolis Home and Garden Show this spring.

Sedum ‘Brilliant’ This sedum cultivar features huge flowerheads on 18-inch-tall stems. The flowers are a bright pink color in summer ripening to a rust color in fall. Butterflies can often be seen on ‘Brilliant’. It’s rabbit resistant and can handle a bit of shade, though like all sedum, it loves sun.

Sedum ‘Double Martini’ has maroon stems and almost olive-colored leaves. The flowers are pink and can be cut for bouquets as well as brightening the garden. The plant attracts bees, moths and butterflies and stays under 18 inches tall, so it works well toward the front of a flower bed.

Sedum ‘Thunderhead’ grows to 30 inches tall and boasts rosy red flowers in midsummer into fall. The stems are also red and the leaves have red edges when they first emerge. This plant does well in very hot, dry sites, including on slopes.

Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ is the classic sedum for the North. It grows about 18 inches tall with light pink flowers ripening to a rust color in fall. Leave the plants standing for winter interest. Give it plenty of light as it may flop in too shady a spot. Autumn Joy is very easy to divide, meaning that one plant bought this year can produce many in the future!

Choose several sedum varieties for an easy-care perennial border.

NOTE FROM MSHS: The sedum varieties listed above will be available for purchase at our booth at the Minneapolis Home and Garden Show in early March. Stop by and stock up! Society members enjoy two free tickets to the show.

Mary Lahr Schier is a Minnesota-based garden writer.