A Flowery Carpet for your garden
A Sedum tapestry or living patchwork quilt combining the varied textures and colours of these amazing stonecrops. They’re available in nurseries, garden centers and mail order online and will take your xeriscaping to the next level.
With so many varieties and types available, you can choose from those suitable for groundcovers or green roofs or even a few choice Sedum for containers thrown in.
I like Sedum planted with a few Sempervivum or even Jovibarba for additional texture, just like an embroidered accent or a jewel; with different types planted in a checkerboard pattern, or just a joyous profusion like a Victorian rag bag quilt.
For all these plants make sure the soil is well drained, and preferably sandy or gravely. Sedum won’t be happy in water logged or damp soil, or where there is ice build up such as under eaves, and for other rare hardy succulents it signs a death warrant for them.
For clay or wet soils, pile rocks in a mound then cover with sandy soil mixed with compost.
The rocks will provide the necessary drainage for these drought smart plants.
A Sedum tapestry is best planted in full sun, and on a slope for easy viewing. They are also great planted in front of a deck so you can view them from above.
Sedum combines well with rocks and driftwood too; for a rustic country ambiance you can plant them among found and salvaged items that you’ve collected, and don’t forget to mulch with pebbles or lava rock to add drainage around the crown of the plants.
They will seldom need watering once they’re established so the garden hose will be a thing of the past.
Butterflies and other pollinators will be drawn to the ever changing blooms as each species and variety of Sedum flowers in succession over the summer.
