17 Best Sedums That Will Look Gorgeous, Even Through Heat Waves and Dry Spells

Hybrid perennial sedum 'Purple Emperor' has very dark purple, fleshy foliage crowned by clusters of tiny, star-like pink flowers in summer. Bees, butterflies, and a host of buzzing insects are attracted to its flowers, which grow in upright to slightly spreading clumps from summer to fall.

Name: Sedum 'Purple Emperor'

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 15 inches tall

Zones: 3-7

Buy It: Sedum Purple Emperor ($15, Bluestone Perennials)

Hailing from Japan, showy stonecrop offers purple-edged, blue-green leaves and pinkish purple flowers in late summer. This prolific bloomer looks great on its own or as a groundcover under taller sun-loving perennials.

Name: Sedum cauticola

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 4 inches tall

Zones: 5-9

Buy It: Sedum cauticola 'Lidakense' ($6, Annie's Annuals)

A low-growing evergreen plant, moss stonecrop has dark green, finely textured leaves accented by yellow flowers in summer. This carpet-forming perennial works as a walkable groundcover that can withstand light foot traffic. Try it along border fronts, rock gardens, walkways, or atop rock walls.

Name: Sedum acre

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 3 inches tall

Zones: 3-8

Buy It: Sedum Acre Gold Moss Live Plant ($5, Etsy)

Favored for its bright gold foliage, 'Ogon' is an especially eye-catching and easy-to-grow spreading groundcover. Tiny yellow-green flowers appear in summer, but take a backseat to the foliage. Add this plant to your succulent container garden, where its small leaves will look especially attractive spilling over the sides.

Name: Sedum makinoi 'Ogon'

Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil

Size: To 2 inches tall

Zones: 6-9

Buy It: Ogon Sedum ($11, Etsy)

A showy variegated sedum variety, 'Frosty Morn' has tall stems and large, spoon-shape leaves. Its sage green foliage with white borders makes this plant a must-try, eye-catching addition to borders or containers. It blooms in late summer to early fall with clusters of beautiful pink and white flowers.

Name: Sedum erythrostictum 'Frosty Morn'

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 12 inches tall

Zone: 3-9

Buy It: Sedum 'Frosty Morn' ($6, Mountain Crest Gardens)

A vigorous, sprawling plant, broadleaf stonecrop grows relatively quickly and smothers weeds in its path. It offers silvery foliage and yellow flowers in summer. You can easily add this plant into your rock garden because it's a native succulent to the face of cliffs in northern California.

Name: Sedum spathulifolium

Growing Conditions: Sun to part shade and well-drained soil

Size: To 4 inches tall

Zones: 5-9

Buy It: Sedum Spathulifolia Cape Blanco ($8, Etsy)

Finely textured October Daphne stonecrop offers blue-green leaves that are edged with a deep pink line. Bees and butterflies love its pink flowers, making this species perfect for pollinator gardens.

Name: Sedum sieboldii

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 12 inches tall

Zones: 3-9

Buy It: Sedum Sieboldii ($20, Etsy)

Despite its long name, Sedum kamtschaticum from Siberia is a plant well worth knowing. It's a beautiful groundcover that has deep green leaves and golden-yellow flowers in late summer. This plant needs as much sun as you can give it. Brighter light intensities bring out deeper colors in the leaves and promote better flowering.

Name: Sedum kamtschaticum

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 6 inches tall

Zones: 3-8

Buy It: Potted Golden Creeping Sedum ($16, The Home Depot)

A clump-forming sedum variety, 'Vera Jameson' mixes well in almost any garden plan, thanks to its purple foliage and pink flowers that add tons of color and texture to the garden all season.

Name: Sedum 'Vera Jameson'

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 12 inches tall

Zones: 3-9

Buy It: Sedum Vera Jameson ($27, Etsy)

An easy-care groundcover that always makes a statement despite its small size, 'Angelina' has bright golden foliage that turns a vibrant orange in fall. Star-shape yellow flowers appear in the summer. This plant likes to drape over stone walls and makes the perfect addition to a succulent container garden or hanging basket.

Name: Sedum rupestre 'Angelina'

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 4 inches tall

Zones: 5-8

Buy It: Angelina Sedum ($20, The Home Depot)

Add an extra dose of color to your rock garden or borders with 'Tricolor' sedum. Each green leaf is edged in pink and white. Tiny, star-shape, pink flowers emerge in late spring to midsummer. Like most sedums, this eye-catching variety is easy to propagate from division and cuttings so you can enjoy more of it.

Name: Sedum spurium 'Tricolor'

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 6 inches tall

Zones: 3-9

Buy It: Tricolor Sedum Spurium ($9, Etsy)

One of the more popular sedum groundcovers, Dragon's Blood is evergreen and offers deep purple foliage that becomes enitrely red by fall. Its pinkish purple flowers bloom from midsummer into autumn. Consider planting it in border fronts, sloped areas, or in containers.

Name: Sedum spurium 'Dragon's Blood'

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 6 inches tall

Zones: 4-9

Buy It: Sedum Spurium Dragon’s Blood ($13, Etsy)

A relatively uncommon species, Sedum grisebachii has very fine foliage and forms a low mat. The plant has an overall bristly appearance, thanks to a distinctive translucent bump at the end of each leaf. It erupts in a mass of yellow blooms in the summer.

Name: Sedum grisebachii

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 3 inches tall

Zones: 4-10

Buy It: Sedum grisebachii ($4, Mountain Crest Gardens)

A silvery-blue hue and needle-like leaves make 'Blue Spruce' a standout sedum in border fronts or rock gardens. Its yellow star-shape flowers emerge in the summer. This drought-resistant perennial is one of the few sedums that will thrive in clay soil.

Name: Sedum 'Blue Spruce'

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 9 inches tall

Zones: 3-9

Buy It: 'Blue Spruce' Sedum ($8, Michigan Bulb Co)

A classic garden perennial, 'Autumn Joy' sedum will add color to your yard from spring to fall. Its large clusters of tiny, starry flowers emerge pink in late summer, drawing all kinds of pollinators. The blooms gradually change to deep rose-red, and finally turn coppery-rust in autumn. The plant's gray-green succulent leaves look lush all summer. It was recently moved under a different botanical plant name, but many places still sell it under the name of Sedum.

Name: Hylotelephium 'Herbstfreude'

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 2 feet tall

Zones: 3-9

Buy It: Autumn Joy Sedum Plants ($5, Etsy)

Beloved for its small, finely textured foliage, 'John Creech' sedum can quickly form a dense mat of foliage with its creeping stems. Pink flowers appear above the foliage in the fall. It's commonly grown as a groundcover, but it can also be used in border fronts, stone wall pockets, slopes, edging, and containers.

Name: Sedum spurium 'John Creech'

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 2 inches tall

Zones: 3-8

Buy It: John Creech Sedum ($10, Walmart)

Usually grown as a groundcover, 'Elizabeth' sedum is a low-growing, sprawling plant that has attractive foliage. Its red and green leaves turn a deep burgundy in fall. Butterflies are attracted to its tiny, pinkish-red flowers that bloom throughout the summer.

Name: Sedum spurium 'Elizabeth'

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 6 inches tall

Zones: 3-9

Buy It: Sedum spurium 'Red Carpet' Elizabeth ($8, Etsy)