How to Grow and Care for Sedum

Featuring colorful foliage and pretty flowers, this perennial is easy to grow and drought-tolerant.

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Updated on October 24, 2022

sedum in a container — Photo:
Jo-Ann Richards

A diverse group of plants, sedums come in a myriad of shapes, colors, and sizes. They often can tolerate very dry conditions, thanks to their succulent leaves and stems. With so many species and varieties available, sedums can be found in bloom three seasons a year. There are two main types of sedums: creeping or upright. The creeping types are great as a groundcovers in rock gardens and growing through cracks in walls. Many creeping types of sedum will root wherever they touch ground and can easily spread to fill a space. Upright sedums tend to form tight clumps of foliage and don’t spread. This sort of sedum can be easily divided in spring to make more plants.

Sedum Overview

Description	A diverse group of plants, sedums come in a myriad of shapes, colors, and sizes. They often can tolerate very dry conditions, thanks to their succulent leaves and stems. With so many species and varieties available, sedums can be found in bloom three seasons a year. There are two main types of sedums: creeping or upright. The creeping types are great as a groundcovers in rock gardens and growing through cracks in walls. Many creeping types of sedum will root wherever they touch ground and can easily spread to fill a space. Upright sedums tend to form tight clumps of foliage and don't spread. This sort of sedum can be easily divided in spring to make more plants.
Genus Name	Sedum
Common Name	Sedum
Plant Type	Perennial
Light	Part Sun, Sun
Height	6 to 6 inches
Width	6 to 72 inches
Flower Color	Orange, Pink, Purple, Red, White, Yellow
Foliage Color	Blue/Green, Chartreuse/Gold, Gray/Silver, Purple/Burgundy
Season Features	Colorful Fall Foliage, Fall Bloom, Summer Bloom, Winter Interest
Special Features	Attracts Birds, Cut Flowers, Good for Containers, Low Maintenance
Zones	10, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Propagation	Division, Seed, Stem Cuttings
Problem Solvers	Drought Tolerant, Groundcover

Colorful Combinations

Sedums come in a rainbow of colors. The foliage ranges from needle-like to broad, rounded, paddle-like leaves. Along with many different shapes, there are also a number of foliage colors. Standouts include bright chartreuse-gold; wonderful tricolor leaves with pinks, creams and greens; and even deep, shiny, almost-black leaves.

As far as flowers go, sedum blossoms are multipurpose. Bees and butterflies love the flowers, making this plant perfect for pollinator gardens. On taller blooming varieties, the dried bloom stems add winter interest to the garden. Just be sure to remove old growth early in the spring before new growth emerges to keep the plant looking its best.

Sedum Care Must-Knows

Sedums are drought-tolerant and can stand up to hot conditions. Because these perennials have succulent leaves, they can store water for the future. However, their biggest downfall is too much water, which will cause them to rot.

These plants need as much sun as you can give them. If they are in too much shade, they are prone to rot and stretched out growth that will cause the upright types to flop over. More sun is also better for foliage color. Brighter light intensities bring out deeper colors in the leaves and promote better flowering.

New Innovations

Breeders have been crossing sedums with another genus called Orostachys. This has created a new hybrid known as Sedoro.

More Varieties of Sedum

'Angelina' sedum

Sedum 'Angelina' is a quick-growing groundcover with golden, needle-like leaves that turn orange in fall. It grows 4 inches tall. Zones 6-9

'Autumn Charm' sedum

This variety shows off rose-pink flowers in late summer and autumn and lovely white-edged foliage. It grows 15 inches tall and wide. Zones 4-8

'Autumn Joy' sedum

Sedum 'Autumn Joy' is a classic. Its 2-foot-tall stems carry gray fleshy leaves and are topped with green broccoli-like heads of flower buds that open pink and turn rusty red by fall. Zones 3-8

'Frosty Morn' sedum

Sedum 'Frosty Morn' bears stunning, silver-edged gray-green leaves and clusters of pink flowers in fall. It grows 1 foot tall. Zones 3-9

Ogon Makinoi's sedum

Sedum makinoi 'Ogon' has mats of small, pink-flushed gold leaves on creeping stems. Yellow green flowers are produced in summer. This is a fine groundcover plant in rock and crevice gardens. It grows 8 inches tall and is hardy in Zones 7-9.

'Purple Emperor' sedum

This Sedum variety bears rich purple foliage and clusters of pinkish-purple blooms in late summer and fall. It grows 2 feet tall. Zones 3-7

Sedum acre

Sedum acre is an evergreen that grows 2 to 3 inches tall and has dark green foliage with yellow flowers in summer. Zones 4-9

Sedum cauticola

This variety is a Japanese species with lovely silvery, blue-green leaves and pink-purple flowers in autumn. It grows 2 inches tall. Zones 5-9

Variegated Kamschatka sedum

This Sedum variety has lustrous green (with a flush of pink), spoon-shaped leaves frosted with white along the edge. Its bright yellow starry flowers bloom from summer into fall, gradually becoming orange. It grows 4 inches tall. Zones 3-8

Sedum Companion Plants

Fountaingrass

Like so many grasses, fountaingrass is spectacular when backlit by the rising or setting sun. Named for its especially graceful spray of foliage, fountaingrass also sends out beautiful, fuzzy flower plumes in late summer. The white, pink, or red plumes (depending on variety) continue into fall and bring a loose, informal look to plantings. This plant self-seeds freely, sometimes to the point of becoming invasive.

Russian Sage

With its tall, wispy wands of lavender or blue flowers and silvery foliage, Russian sage is an important player in summer and fall gardens. It shows off well against most flowers and provides an elegant look to flower borders. The aromatic leaves are oblong and deeply cut along the edges. Foot-long panicles of flowers bloom for many weeks. Excellent drainage and full sun are ideal, although very light shade is tolerated. Plant close to avoid staking, since the tall plants tend to flop.

Black-Eyed Susan

Add a pool of sunshine to the garden with a massed planting of black-eyed Susan. From midsummer, these tough native plants bloom their golden heads off in sun or light shade and mix well with other perennials, annuals, and shrubs. Tall varieties look especially appropriate among shrubs, which in turn provide support. Add black-eyed Susans to wildflower meadows or native plant gardens for a naturalized look. Average soil is sufficient for black-eyed Susans, but it should be able to hold moisture fairly well.