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Sedum Care Guide: How to Grow Low-Growing & Upright Stonecrop in Your Garden

Photo Credit
Pixabay
Botanical Name
Sedum spp., Hylotelephium spp.
Plant Type
Flowers
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

Planting, Growing, and Caring for Sedums

Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

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—also called “stonecrop” or “live-forever.” A hardy plant that grows well in shallow soil, there is a sedum variety for almost every garden.

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

  • Low–growing 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 “sedum.”

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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’s important to have well-draining 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—after the threat of frost but before the heat of summer kicks in.
  • Plant sedum seeds in early spring in well-draining, 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’t 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
  • ‘Brilliant’, ‘Autumn Fire’, and ‘Autumn Joy’ upright sedum (Hylotelephium spectabile, aka Sedum spectabile) add bursts of bright pink and magenta to your garden
  • ‘Blue 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

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann is the Executive Digital Editor of Almanac.com, the website companion of The Old Farmer's Almanac. She covers gardening, plants, pest control, soil composition, seasonal and moon c...
Read More from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Cliff Hatch</span> Sun, 03/23/2014 - 16:43
is it better to plant sedum seeds in the ground in front of a grave stone or to plant a fully grown sedum plant ?
<span>Georgewilson</span> Mon, 03/24/2014 - 16:30
Sedum is great choice for gravestones. Get a low-growing variety so it doesn't get floppy. You can seed or buy a plant; it really depends on how long you want to wait. If you plant in the spring, it should bloom in the summer, but some varieties grow quickly and others grow more slowly.
<span>Jaffa Hyman</span> Tue, 01/14/2014 - 18:57
can you grow new sedum plants from the old clippings
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Thu, 01/16/2014 - 10:32

Sedum is very easy to propagate. Snip a piece about 4 inches long that has 3 or more leaves. Remove the bottom leaves and push the cutting into moistened soil mix so that the one leaf is above the surface of the soil. Use a well-draining soil mix or mix sand into regular potting soil.

 <span>Name Taken</span> Wed, 11/20/2013 - 12:46
I was given a lovely potted sedum, which I kept on my terrace. Can I bring it inside now that the temperatures are dropping below freezing as the pot is small and I don't want the roots to freeze. If it starts to regrow indoors will that be a problem for the plant?
<span>Verla Chambers</span> Tue, 10/22/2013 - 18:34
I live in Manitoba, the snows have begun, should I "cut back" my sedum? This is my second year of them and do not know what cutting back means. Am I to cut them to the ground?? I appreciate any advice. Thank you.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 10/25/2013 - 15:44

Sedum should die to the ground in the winter. Cut them down any time--now or late winter or early spring.  When we say cut them down, we mean to the ground. Some people keep wait to prune until early spring as they think the seedheads add winter interest.
In general, throughout the growing season, you can cut back a third of the sedum stems whenever they grow floppy.  When they are 6 to 12 inches tall, you can pinch back their growing tips to encourage sturdy growth (not floppy).

 <span>J Stroebel</span> Mon, 10/07/2013 - 11:32
How does soil pH effect the intensity of the color in "Sedum spectabile"?