Stand-up Sedums
'Autumn Joy' Was Only the Beginning.
By Rachel Foster 9/14/06

If the name sedum tends to conjure images of creeping rock-garden and groundcover plants that spread a mile a minute, its not surprising. There are hundreds of species that more or less fit that description. But there are also upright, clump forming sedums, some as tall as three feet. These exceptionally cold-hardy plants are more widely grown in Eastern and Midwestern states than they are here. They are, however, exceptionally drought resistant, too, and at their showiest late in the season, two traits that should endear them to Willamette Valley gardeners. What's more, the last decade has delivered a flurry of interesting new varieties.
Years ago, a new tall hybrid sedum of German origin named 'Autumn Joy' ('Herbstfreude') created quite a sensation. It was robust and upstanding, with flower heads as large as cauliflowers and of a richer coloring than the standard chalky pink of the familiar Sedum spectabile. The long-lasting flowers of 'Autumn Joy' change over time from pink to salmon, then to a deep rust red. This tough and good looking plant has become a staple of institutional perennial plantings as well as a favorite with gardeners.
The appearance of 'Autumn Joy' heralded a flurry of activity in the world of sedums. You can now find many variations in height and foliage color, with flowers ranging from cream to crimson. At the head of the pack is 'Matrona,' with gray-green leaves and robust heads of dusty pink flowers on dark red stems, a striking combination. 'Matrona' has thrown out several sports, including 'Black Jack.' I haven't seen this yet, but one nurseryman describes the foliage as black-purple. A really dark-leafed sedum that stands up reliably is something of a holy grail for sedum lovers -- the much older (and purplish) Sedum maximum 'Atropurpurem' is described by one author as "weakly erect" ...
A personal favorite of mine is the 18 inch 'Mohrchen' ('Little Monk') which I purchased several years ago from Northwest Garden Nursery. Instead of the solid, broccoli like heads on 'Matrona' and 'Autumn Joy,' it has lighter, more open sprays of crimson flowers that fade to rust. The leaves are a very shiny reddish brown. This plant has seeded gently around my garden for several years with no apparent dilution of the leaf color. It sometimes leans a little but I love it. Newer cultivars seem to have displaced it from many catalogs, but look for it -- it does have real character.
Other, newer varieties to look for (rather arbitrarily selected from at least two dozen choices) include: 'Cloud Walker' (compact with dark leaves), 'Garnet Brocade' (dark stems, gray leaves and "airy panicles"), mahogany leafed 'Ringmore Ruby,' 'Purple Emperor' (15 inches) and 'Frosty Morn,' another lower growing sedum with cream edged leaves and pale pink flowers that fade to white.
When I moved to Eugene from the Midwest years ago I found these big sedums rather disappointing. Back home, the desiccated stems, faded but still robust, were a lovely, snow-catching feature in winter gardens, but they break down quickly in Eugene's winter rains. Our lush spring growing conditions encourage rapid growth and over-large, top-heavy stems. With so many other great plants to grow I lost interest in sedums. Now I have come to appreciate their drought tolerance, and find them invaluable under the right conditions, which means just about any sunny place where they won't get over-watered. Full sun and restricted water keeps them upright and intensifies stem and foliage color.
Among their good qualities are a sturdy, distinctive structure, late bloom and a long season of interest even before the flowers open. When they do open, the durable, starry little flowers attract huge numbers of insects, including late-flying butterflies. Whatever their foliage color, sedums look great with drought resistant staples such as lavender, autumn sage and caryopteris. They add backbone and contrast to a bed of fall asters and ornamental grasses, and combine well with fall flowering bulbs such as colchicum and hardy amaryllis. Sedums are also supremely easy to divide or propagate from cuttings.