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How to Grow Sedum: The Complete Stonecrop Guide

Photo Credit
Pixabay
Botanical Name
Sedum spp., Hylotelephium spp.
Plant Type
Flower
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Part Sun
Soil pH
Varies
Bloom Time
Summer
Fall
Flower Color
Orange
Pink
Red
White
Yellow
Hardiness Zone
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Special Features
Attracts Butterflies
Attracts Songbirds

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Planting, Growing, and Caring for Sedums

Catherine Boeckmann

Sedums have it all! This perennial plant has succulent green foliage and produces clusters of star-shaped flowers that bloom from midsummer to fall. It’s easy to care for and beloved by pollinators, too! Here’s how to grow sedum in your garden.

About Sedum

Perennial plants don’t get much easier than sedum, a genus of succulents with fleshy stems and succulent leaves鈥攁lso called 鈥渟tonecrop鈥 or 鈥溾 A hardy plant that grows well in shallow soil, this is a sedum variety for almost every garden.

We like to divide sedum into two main categories based on the plants鈥 growth habits: low-growing sedum and upright sedum.

  • Low鈥揼rowing sedum spreads along the ground, reaching only a few inches (or less) in height. This makes them perfect for use as a ground cover along paths, in rock gardens, or cascading down a stone wall.
     
  • Tall or upright sedum tends to form tall, upright clumps that produce large flower heads in tight masses of tiny reddish-pink flowers. Their height and attractive flowers make them good candidates for border gardens or pollinator gardens. A few years ago, upright sedum was reclassified to another genus, Hylotelephium, but it is still commonly referred to as a 鈥渟edum.鈥
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Planting

Sedum enjoy full sun, but will tolerate some shade. If growing sedum in an area that gets long, cold winters (Zone 5 and colder), plant in full sun to improve overwintering capability.

Sedum grows well in poor or sandy soil, but it鈥檚 important to have well-drained soil to avoid fungal diseases. It is very susceptible to root rot if grown in soil that holds too much moisture. Overly rich soil can also encourage leggy growth, which can result in upright sedum varieties becoming top-heavy when they bloom.

When to Plant Sedum

  • Sedum is usually bought in plugs or pots and transplanted into the garden. The best time to plant sedum is in the spring鈥攁fter the threat of frost but before the heat of summer kicks in.
  • Plant sedum seeds in early spring in well-drained, average to rich soil. (Learn more about soil amendments and preparing soil for planting.)

Sedum with yellow flowers

How to Plant Sedum

  • Space plants between 6 inches and 2 feet apart, depending on the variety. Low-growing sedums will readily spread to fill any gaps, while upright sedums tend to stay more compact.
  • Planting full plants or divisions: Dig a hole deep enough so that the top of the root ball is level with the surface of the soil, then place the plant in the hole and fill in around it. Be careful not to bury the stems of upright sedum, as this can lead to rot.
  • Planting cuttings: Like other succulents, sedum can be readily propagated via cuttings. Simply place the cut end into soil, and the cutting should have no trouble rooting under proper lighting and watering conditions.

Growing

  • Once established, sedum plants require little care. During the summer, check your plants regularly to make sure they are not too dry and water (sparingly) if needed. As long as your area gets rain every couple of weeks at the least, sedum shouldn鈥檛 need any extra watering.
  • After flowering, cut back the plants to maintain their shape or contain them in one area. 
    • Tip: For added winter interest, leave the flowers of upright sedum alone after they bloom. They will form attractive seed heads.
  • Remember to divide your plants in the spring or fall to control their spread. Throughout the summer, divisions and cuttings root readily.

Sedum

Types

  • Sedum humifusum makes for a great ground cover and has beautiful, bright yellow flowers
  • 鈥楤谤颈濒濒颈补苍迟’, 鈥楢utumn Fire’, and 鈥楢utumn Joy’ upright sedum (Hylotelephium spectabile, aka Sedum spectabile) add bursts of bright pink and magenta to your garden
  • 鈥楤lue Spruce’ (Sedum reflexum) is a low-growing sedum with blue-green, spruce-like foliage and yellow flowers
Gardening Products

Pests/Diseases

  • Mealybugs
  • Scale insects
  • Slugs
  • Snails
  • Birds, deer, squirrels, and voles may nibble on the succulent foliage of sedum.
Flowers
About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it鈥檚 not surprising that she and The Old Farmer鈥檚 蜜桃恋人 found each other. She leads digital content for the 蜜桃恋人 website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann
 

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Comments

I use green garden twine to hold them up. I put a ring of the twine near the bottom and another closer to the top. Works fine and you can't really see the twine because it's hidden by leaves.

Geri Reski (not verified)

3 years 3 months ago

I took a chance and planted these a year ago in a barrel with Snapdragons. I had no clue what they were or how they would grow. W O W! They are amazing plants! Didn鈥檛 have any flowers last year but this year did. These things don鈥檛 mind the snow at all, in fact, the snow acts like an insulating blanket! Am in zone 7b in Pine, Arizona. Great and hardy plants!!!

We’re glad to hear that your sedum grew so well! It’s a lovely plant.

After writing my comment, the elk moved in and ate them to soil level! And they were protected by chicken wire surrounding! Grrrrr! A few did grow back to some degree鈥

Linda (not verified)

4 years 2 months ago

We have sedum in front of our house like a hedge. By Labor Day, they are full of honey bees, butterflies, and a lot of different bees also. We have two beehives, and the bees love the sedum. I think I will trim it next June to keep it from flopping, but they look beautiful from the street.

It sounds like Mother Nature’s finest make a bee-line for your house! Must be lovely to know you’re so loved!

Amy (not verified)

4 years 2 months ago

Didn't ever know what the proper name was. I was always told it was frogs tongue. Have it planted on both sides of my front steps the ones on the left always grow better they get the morning sun I guess is the difference. I love them this time of year the pinkish \ purpleish color flowers.

Well, we never heard Autumn Joy called Frog’s Tongue! Thanks for that bit of folklore.

And there’s more:Gayle Fisher writes this on this page http://mcminnlife.com/sedum-is-truly-an-autumn-joy/ : 鈥…grandpa showed us how to make a frog tongue from the leaves. You break off a leaf, bruise it carefully with your fingers without breaking the top membrane, then you can stick your tongue inside and blow, and you have created a frog tongue. If you penetrated the membrane, you had to start over…鈥

Not sure how it works but it’s a curious item. Spread the Autumn Joy!

Scott (not verified)

4 years 2 months ago

We like "Dragons Blood" sedum for its color and structure. It grows well but alas, we also removed the overgrown plants that provided it with afternoon shade and sedum does not like 100+ deg days/sun.