38 birdsandblooms.com OCTOBER (^) I NOVEMBER 2017
Sun: Full sun is best,
although partial shade is
tolerable in hotter areas.
Soil: Well-draining soil of
average quality suits sedums.
Water: For border sedums,
maintain beauty and health
with regular watering; just
don’t overdo it.
Fertilizer: Not necessary!
Sedums grow robustly
without a lot of fertilizer.
Pests and diseases: These
problems are mercifully
rare. Aphids may gather on
the leaves of young border
sedums and can be evicted
with a stiff spray of the hose.
Planting time: Spring is
best. In milder climates,
fall planting also works.
Just make sure to get your
sedums in the ground
before the first frost.
Division: Divide clumps
every 3 to 5 years. Otherwise,
many sedums lose vigor.
THE
CHEAT
SHEET
BEAUTY ON THE BORDER
Border sedums generally fall within the 1- to 2-
foot range, and Autumn Joy is the most familiar
example. They grow more or less erect and have
dense, domed flowerheads composed of tiny starry
flowers, much like a colorful broccoli head. Foliage
is thick, fleshy and succulent, and runs from sage
and green to smoky blue to maroon in color.
Most border sedums come to life in summer
with lime-green buds that open to pink or white
flowers. These tend to deepen to a dark pink or
red and then segue to a rich rust or bronze as
season comes to a close.
Sedums not only offer dynamic beauty from
summer to fall, but they also provide a popular
stage for butterflies. And if your winters are not
too harsh, they will hold their ground for months
longer still—their broad forms contrasting with
the brown, threadbare foliage of nearby plants
or perhaps gathering a cap of snow on top of their
dried flowerheads.
Border sedums thrive in the company of other
plants because they are easy-going and non-
aggressive. They look great among late-season
bloomers such as asters, cultivated goldenrods
and boltonias, where they contribute contrasting
or harmonizing color. Gray- or silver-leaved
companions, like artemisia and sage, have the
advantage of complementing the changing colors
of your border sedums from season to season.
Try interplanting border sedums with
Try Dragon's
Blood sedum as
a ground cover.
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