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Stonecrop ground cover is a very hardy, easy to grow and beautiful ornamental plant. To appreciate its benefits, you need to study the description of the culture and popular varieties.
Description of groundcover sedum
Groundcover stonecrop, or sedum, is a succulent plant from the Tolstyankov family. It is a low perennial, rarely a biennial. Stonecrop leaves are fleshy and whole, attached directly to the stem in regular or mosaic order, often forming rosettes. Their shade depends on the lighting, in the sun the sedum acquires a reddish color, in the shade it remains green. The height of the plant can reach 25-30 cm.
Groundcover stonecrop looks spectacular in the garden, even outside the flowering period
Sedum blooms from July to September. The perennial bears star-shaped flowers collected in thyroid, racemose or umbellate inflorescences. Depending on the variety, it can produce pink, white or yellow buds, blooms profusely and looks very decorative.
In the middle of summer, stonecrop is decorated with tall bright inflorescences.
The groundcover perennial stonecrop grows throughout the world – in Eurasia and Africa, South and North America. He chooses mainly meadows and dry slopes, he does not like high humidity, but he perceives dry soils very well.
Types and varieties of ground cover stonecrops
In total, several hundred species of groundcover stonecrop with photos and names are distinguished. But only some of them are popular, the most beautiful and unpretentious to growing conditions.
Sedum large (Maximum)
A large stonecrop is also called medicinal or ordinary. A perennial widely distributed in Europe, thick green leaves adhere tightly to fleshy short stems.
Matrona (Matrona)
A high ground cover variety reaches 60 cm, a distinctive feature is bluish-green leaf plates with a reddish bloom. During flowering, it releases light pink buds.
Matron – one of the highest varieties of ground cover stonecrop up to 60 cm tall
Linda Windsor Linda Windsor
The variety rises to 35 cm, has rounded dark purple leaves. From July to September brings red inflorescences, attracts a lot of attention in the garden.
Groundcover stonecrop Linda Windsor in the decorative period is made higher due to inflorescences
White sedum (Album)
A low view up to 20 cm tall, the leaves of the perennial are rounded-elongated, turn red by autumn. The buds appear in June and July, usually white or light pink in color, collected in corymbose inflorescences.
Atropurpurea (Atropurpureum)
Distinctive features of the variety are brown leaves. In July, Atropurpurea blooms profusely and brightly with white buds, while the leaves turn green for a while.
Stonecrop Atropurpurea rises up to 10 cm
Coral Carpet
Dwarf variety no more than 10 cm tall. The photo of a creeping stonecrop shows that the leaves of Coral Carpet are bright green with a coral tint in the warm season, turning red by autumn. In June and July, the variety produces white-pink small flowers.
Coral Carpet exudes a pleasant smell during flowering
Sedum caustic (Acre)
A very hardy and unpretentious variety of ground cover stonecrop. It rises in height by 5-10 cm, has diamond-shaped dark green leaves. It usually blooms with golden yellow buds in mid-summer.
Aurea (Golden)
The variety rises to a maximum of 20 cm and spreads 35 cm wide. The leaves are golden green, bright, in July they are almost completely hidden under abundant flowering, the perennial brings star-shaped yellow buds.
Stonecrop Aurea has good cold resistance and hibernates at temperatures up to -35 ° C
Yellow Queen
The peculiarity of the variety is small lemon-green leaves, forming a thick cushion above the soil. From June to July, it produces bright yellow small buds in semi-umbellate inflorescences, feels good in sunny areas.
Sedum Yellow Queen rises up to 10 cm above the ground
Sedum false (Spurium)
Unpretentious creeping variety up to 20 cm tall with concave heart-shaped or wedge-shaped leaves. It is characterized by late flowering, from July to August.
Green Mantle
A perennial plant up to 10 cm tall is distinguished by very juicy emerald green leaves of a rounded shape. From July to August, it is abundantly covered with bright yellow flowers.
Variety Green Mantle looks equally decorative during flowering and beyond
Roseum
False ground cover stonecrop in its natural form grows in the meadows and mountain slopes of the Caucasus. It stretches to an average of 20 cm in height, the leaves are fleshy, dark green, with blunt denticles along the edges. In the decorative period, it is abundantly covered with pink corymbose inflorescences.
Roseum variety blooms from June to August
Seven Spathulifolium (Spathulifolium)
Ground cover stonecrop with a height of about 15 cm and fleshy spatulate leaves with rosettes at the ends. Blooms in mid-summer, produces mostly yellow buds. Does not shed foliage for the winter, but needs shelter.
Cape Blanco
A low-growing variety with bluish leaves, covered with a white coating and reddening in the sun. In June and July it is covered with bright yellow inflorescences, rising 15 cm above rosettes on long peduncles.
Stonecrop Cape Blanco grows well in sun and shade.
Purple (Purple)
In the photo of the type of ground cover stonecrop, it is noticeable that it has bluish-purple leaves with a silvery coating. Purpurea does not exceed 7 cm in height, the flower stalks extend over the rosettes by another 10 cm. The decorative period falls on July and August, the variety brings small yellow buds in star-shaped inflorescences.
Stonecrop Purpurea prefers to grow on dry, stony soils.
Creeping stonecrop in landscape design
Basically, groundcover sedum in landscape design is used for several purposes:
- to create a carpet in low-growing flower beds;
Stonecrop can be combined with any perennials with similar soil requirements.
- as color spots;
Bright creeping stonecrops allow you to diversify the space on the lawn or in a rocky garden
- for decorating parapets, roofs and balconies.
Groundcover stonecrop is used in decorating roofs
Low-growing ground cover sedum is a very bright culture that can quickly and abundantly spread through the garden. With the help of a perennial, you can revive any area, it is only important to ensure that the stonecrop does not begin to crowd other plants.
Features of reproduction
Ground cover stonecrops can be propagated by both seed and vegetative methods. But most often it is cuttings that are used, it allows you to get a new copy of the plant most quickly.
Sedum cuttings have their own characteristics. Run it like this:
- several healthy parts of the shoots are separated from the mother bush;
- lay them out on a tray and leave for 2-3 hours in the shade in a dry place;
- when the cuttings dry out a little, they are immediately planted in a pot or in open ground in the garden.
When cutting sedum, it is important to dry the material and immediately plant it in slightly moist soil.
Planting and caring for groundcover sedum
It is not difficult to plant a hardy ground cover stonecrop in your area. To do this, it is enough to follow a few basic rules.
Recommended dates
In the middle lane and in the northern regions, it is customary to root the ground cover stonecrop in the ground at the end of May, when the temperature is stable at 15 ° C day and night. In the southern regions, autumn planting is acceptable in mid-September, the seedling will have enough time to adapt to the cold weather.
Site selection and preparation of soil
Groundcover stonecrop can grow in a sunny area and in light shade. It is not recommended to plant it in a poorly lit place, because in this case the plant will begin to stretch upwards strongly and lose its attractiveness.
The soil for stonecrop requires fertile, but light. The selected area is dug up and sand, crushed stone and wood ash are added. You can also add a shovel of humus and potassium-phosphorus mineral fertilizers. The hole is made small, a few centimeters deep, and immediately watered with warm water.
Planting a ground cover stonecrop
Planting sedum in the ground is a very simple task. A small bush, sprout, or even a fleshy dried leaf of a plant is lowered into a prepared hole and sprinkled with soil. It is not necessary to water the succulent; for the first time, moisture is applied only a week after planting.
Leaves and shoots of stonecrop are planted in the ground without prior rooting.
Features of care
When growing stonecrop, you need to monitor mainly the level of humidity and ensure that the culture does not spread to neighboring plantings. Groundcover sedum is very unpretentious and rarely creates problems for gardeners.
Watering and top dressing
It is necessary to water the succulent only during a long summer drought, and it is necessary to slightly moisten the soil. The rest of the time, the plant receives moisture from precipitation.
You need to feed stonecrop twice a season. In spring, in dry weather, you can water the succulent with diluted mullein or complex minerals; in the fall, at the end of September or the beginning of October, it is permissible to use liquid bird droppings.
Weeding and loosening
Since groundcover stonecrop can rot on compacted and moist soil, once a month it is recommended to loosen it shallowly to saturate it with oxygen. At the same time, weed sprouts can be removed from the ground, which take away useful substances and water from stonecrop.
If caustic sedum grows on the site, then weeds will not develop in the immediate vicinity of it, the poisonous plant will displace them on its own.
Trimming
The ground cover stonecrop grows quite quickly and can go beyond the allotted area. Therefore, as necessary, it is cut off, the procedure is carried out in the spring or in the middle of autumn. During the shearing, too long stems, dry and damaged leaves are removed, in general, no more than 1/3 of the green mass is eliminated.
To maintain a decorative shape, the ground cover stonecrop should be cut regularly.
The cut parts of the succulent are collected and destroyed. It is important to ensure that the sprouts do not fall onto the ground somewhere else in the garden, otherwise the sedum will easily take root in a random place, clinging to the soil.
Wintering
With the onset of autumn, in the middle or end of October, it is customary to cut the stonecrop, leaving sprouts 3-4 cm above the ground. branches. You can also cover the area with lutrasil for insulation and protection from snow.
Pruning in the southern regions is not a mandatory step. But it is recommended to do it, because last year’s shoots will still lose their attractiveness over the winter, and they will have to be removed in the spring.
Transfer
Groundcover stonecrop is recommended to be grown in one place for no longer than 5 years. After that, a transplant is carried out, the plant is carefully dug out of the ground and transferred to a new site, where it is re-rooted in the ground in the usual way. If the sedum has grown strongly, then first it is divided into several parts, the rhizome is cut or above-ground shoots are taken. In both cases, the succulent will take root very quickly.
5 years after planting, the ground cover stonecrop must be moved to a new location.
Diseases and pests
The ground cover plant has good immunity and rarely suffers from ailments. However, gray rot is dangerous for stonecrop. The disease develops on excessively wet soil, dark spots appear on the leaves of the succulent, and then it begins to fade rapidly. When the first symptoms are detected, the affected shoots should be immediately removed and treated with Fundazol.
The most common stonecrop disease is gray rot, which occurs when waterlogging
Of the pests for stonecrop are dangerous:
- long-nosed;
The weevil feeds on sap from stems and leaves and can heavily eat sedum
- thrips;
Thrips feed on the juice of fleshy leaves and impair the development of ground cover stonecrop.
- butterfly caterpillars.
Butterfly caterpillars can strongly eat succulent stonecrop leaves
Insect control is carried out with the help of Actellik. It is important to inspect the plantings more often in order to notice the appearance of pests in time.
Possible problems
Difficulties in growing sedum practically do not create. Possible problems include:
- swampy soil in the area with succulents – in conditions of high humidity, the stonecrop will not be able to develop and will quickly begin to rot;
- close proximity to other perennials, if you plant other crops next to sedum, it will displace them, besides, few plants have similar growing requirements.
Interesting Facts
The Latin name of the culture “Sedum” takes its roots from the Latin word “sedare”, meaning “pacification” – the fleshy leaves of stonecrop have analgesic properties. There is another version of the origin – from the word “sedere”, or “sit”, since most types of succulents grow almost close to the ground.
In the literature and among the people, the plant is called not only stonecrop, but also hare grass, fever grass. Sedum leaves are actively used in home medicine to treat ailments.
In the old days, stonecrop was endowed with mystical properties. According to signs, a wreath can be woven from the shoots of a plant and hung over the threshold to protect against evil. Succulent sedum, even when cut, does not fade for a long time, so it can serve as a talisman for a home for several months.
Stonecrop has anti-inflammatory and healing properties
Conclusion
Stonecrop ground cover is a hardy and undemanding succulent plant. When growing, it is important not to overmoisten the soil, but otherwise the sedum feels comfortable in almost any conditions.
