Sedum rupestre
‘Angelina’
‘Angelina’ stonecrop
craSSulaceaeStarry yellow flowers; succulent, yellow,
needlelike foliage
4–6 in. high; 15–24 in. wide
Full sun–part shade
Blooms June–July
Zones 4–8
pruning The yellow flowers are
practically invisible against the yellow
foliage, but the bees love them, so
leave them up while they have pollen
to provide. After the blooms are spent,
cut the flower stalks down, as they
aren’t ornamental at that stage, and
seed production may sap energy from
the foliage, making it deteriorate a bit.
Plants can be trimmed at any time if
the foliage looks tired, and sections
can be cut, dug, or yanked out by hand
if plants spread too far (and they
probably will). ‘Angelina’ takes on
deep golden, orange, and bronze tonesin cold weather and is evergreen or
semi-evergreen most winters, so wait
until early spring to clean them up.
other maintenance Plant
‘Angelina’ in full sun and well-drained
soil. It likes average to low moisture,
but not bone-dry conditions. This is an
easy-to-grow plant, but it may get
pushy and overtake smaller, weaker
plants if left unchecked, so it does
require some maintenance. That said,
it makes an excellent groundcover.
Too much shade will turn the bright
yellow foliage lime green.
related plantS Countless other
low-growing stonecrops make
valuable contributions to the garden.
Sedum album, white stonecrop
(zones 3–8), has white or pink flowers
in summer and tiny nubbly evergreen
leaves. Varieties like ‘Orange Ice’ have
colorful foliage that intensifies in cold
weather.
Sedum makinoi ‘Ogon’ (zones 6–9)
has tiny, round, lemon-yellow leaves. It
needs afternoon shade in hot climates
or it will scorch.
Sedum rupestre ‘Blue Spruce’ is the
blue-leaved brother to ‘Angelina’ and
holds its blue “needles” through the
winter.
Sedum sieboldii, October daphne
(zones 3–9), has pink flowers late in the
year and blue-green leaves that take on
pink and orange tones in fall. It’s a
slow-growing deciduous clumper
whose stems radiate out from a single
point. The stems break off easily.
Sedum spathulifolium ‘Capo Blanco’
(zones 5–9) is a silvery white ground-
cover stonecrop that struggles in the
eastern United States. Where it can be
grown well (on the West Coast), it is
fantastic.
Sedum spurium, two-row stonecrop
(zones 3–8), is variable in quality
depending on variety. ‘John Creech’ is
an excellent glossy green groundcover.
‘Dragon’s Blood’ is the most common
purpleleaf form, but it doesn’t hold its
color well; ‘Fuldaglut’ is a better
red-leaved performer. Sedum spurium
is evergreen or semi-evergreen in
protected sites.Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’