Sedums Great and Small

Now that the sedums are in their full glory, I'm amazed at the variety of the genus. I have probably half a dozen different ones, ranging from the dainty cauticola to a new one this year called 'Postman's Pride'. Beginning at the tiny end of the scale, there's Sedum cauticola; small and almost perfectly formed, with blue-green leaves and bright pink flowers. It's no more than about 4" high, and it cascades ever so slightly - really lovely. I also have Sedum rupestris 'Angelina', with its starry yellow flowers and ferny green stems, as well as a sprawling groundcover sedum that I haven't bothered to identify. It blooms infrequently, but when it does it sends up a stalk about 8" high in midsummer topped by mauve flowers. Of course I have 'Autumn Joy' (who doesn't?), but I also bought Sedum telephium 'Matrona' several years ago, and I like it better every year. This elegant sedum has maroonish stems and leaves, and pale pink blooms. An added bonus is that it stays very erect even under wind and rain - pity the same can't be said about 'Autumn Joy', which flops all over the place when the weather is bad. My latest acquisition, 'Postman's Pride', promises to be quite a sight. It does look a bit lanky this first year, as it spent the better part of two months in its shipping pot, on a shelf on the patio - it ended up with curvature of the spine. The color is fantastic; a deep, dark wine red with sort of orange-red flowers. I've not seen anything quite like it, and I'll really be interested to see it next year.

As I've mentioned in a previous post, I have begun to acquire plants with cultivar names that have the names of family and friends, and came across a sedum last year called 'Carl', which also happens to be the name of a very dear friend. It has a rather different growth habit than many large sedums. The stems, rather than having sets of large leaves, have many smaller leaves all the way around. I especially like the flowers on 'Carl' - they're as dark as "Autumn Joy', but a much more intense fuschia color. It's a living reminder of my friend, and it has the added benefit of being a nectar source for the butterflies. A satisfactory plant, indeed!