Tall Sedum - favorite of butterflies, bees, and other pollinators
How to Grow Tall Sedums
Tall sedum is an easy-care perennial with beautiful four-season interest. Bees and butterflies love it too! Tall sedum is a staple in a low-maintenance garden There are not as many hard workers as tall mud. Plant a few and you'll find that they perform well in spring, summer, fall, and even winter without much maintenance. Tall sedum (Hylodylphium spp. and hybrids) has succulent leaves that can be shades of green, chartreuse, variegated, or burgundy, while pink, burgundy, white, or chartreuse-yellow flowers often age red and brown. Beautiful in all seasons! Let's take a look at the seasonal interest that tall sedum offers, then scroll down the gallery to learn about some extra-tall sedum cultivars you'll want to audition for your own garden.
Late season interest
Tall sedum brings out its flat flowers from late summer to fall, making a perfect landing pad for hungry bees and butterflies. The specimen in the photo above gets top billing in this unforgettable fall vignette with smokebush (Cotinus hybrid) and shrub rose (Rosa hybrid). Its late leaves almost glow in the autumn light. The deep russet-red flowers stand out well against the pale green foliage. Too dark green and they will be lost. Foliage declines as fall turn to winter, but the stems persist until the following spring, even with a layer of snow.
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Summer interest
Summer is the season when the tall mud flowers begin to bloom. The green buds of 'Autumn Joy' ('Herbstfreude') in the photo above start to turn rosy pink and then turn coppery red. The green flower buds may not look exciting, but the muted color allows the yellow-and-black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida) to take center stage nearby.
Spring interest
Spring seems like an unusual time for a tall sedum, but the new stems have a beautiful rosette-like shape that is a nice companion to early spring bloomers. The variety Autumn Charm™ ('Lajos') in the photo above is a little further away. Its creamy-tipped leaves echo the pale yellow of this baby columbine (Aquilegia hybrid).
How to Grow a Tall Sedum
Maintaining tall damage is not difficult. In fact, sometimes you'll find yourself happily growing in a neglected garden without any help. But with a little care, tall mud can thrive from survival. Let's start with some basics.
Ideal growing conditions for tall sedum
Hardy in USDA zones 3 through 10, tall mallow grows best in full sun — six hours or more — especially on cultivars with dark foliage. Because these varieties have more sunlight, their leaf color is darker. Without it, they are greenish-purple. There are some cultivars like 'Atom Charm' that tolerate light shade.
Well-drained soil works best for high mud. They are flexible about soil pH, but even better if it is on the alkaline side. Does not require much fertilizer. Fertilizing is usually plentiful once a year.
Tall mud is drought-tolerant!
Tall mud is drought tolerant and you don't have to worry about watering. In fact, too much water will rot them. They are the best choice for those places far away from the spigot. If you use organic mulch in your beds, pull it back 3 to 4 inches from the crown to avoid moisture build-up that can cause rot. Pea gravel and stone mulch are good alternatives.
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How to clean tall mud in the spring
Start the growing season by cutting dead tall sedum stems in early spring, as in the photo above. It's not important to cut to a specific height, but keeping the stems as short as possible allows you to appreciate the new spring growth. If a stem falls off with just a few leaves like you see in the photo above, plant or pot it right away and you'll have a new addition to the garden.
Divide tall sedum in spring
Spring is also the time to split tallow. It's easy to do this time of year—you don't have to worry about breaking stems or leaves. Use a spade to dig around the plant and lift the dense root ball from the ground. Then, separate the plants with a spade or soil knife and cut the root ball into the size section that suits your needs. After dividing, replant tall sedum sections at the same depth they were growing before dividing.
Keep tall debris upright
As the temperature warms, tall slime sheds and grows taller to form blooms. Tall mud grows 9 to 36 inches tall and 12 to 24 inches wide, depending on the variety. Unfortunately, some cultivars - 'Matrona' is notorious for this - fail. What is the solution for worn mud? Cut or mow the plants. Both are done in spring.
Cut tall mud to prevent falls
Another way to prevent dieback is to cut tall sedum stems in half anytime from spring to early summer. Flowers are smaller, more numerous, and later. I cut the 'Matrona' in the photo above into thirds with a pair of pruners, but scissors will work just as well. Try cutting stems at the leaf joint. Two new stems are formed, which will later flower.
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Find a tall sedum for your garden
Use these tips to give your tall sedum season after season a show. Since there are all kinds of tall sedums, you might think they would have different maintenance requirements. Fortunately, that's not the case. They all do well with the same simple care. Check out the gallery below to see some more tall sedums to grace your borders all year round.
'Autumn Joy' Sedum (Hylodylipium 'Herbstfruit')
'Atom Joy' has rounded flower clusters that are a favorite of butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. Its pink flowers turn rusty red with frost and dry a russet brown. Leave dry flower stems until spring for a touch of winter interest. Varieties Perennial Blooms are dusky pink to late summer rust red to fall Light Full sun Size 18 to 24 inches. Tall and wide hardiness is hardy in USDA zones 3 through 9
'Cherry Truffle' sedum (Hylotelephium telephium)
The foliage of 'Cherry Truffle' sets it apart from other tall sedums - it emerges as deep burgundy and turns deep purple and almost black with the heat of the summer sun. It is planted in full sun for the best color. Very drought tolerant, it makes a strike for containers in hot, dry places in the garden. Type Perennial Flowers Pink Flowers Late summer to early fall Light Full sun Size 12 to 16 inches tall and 18 to 24 inches.
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'Maestro' Tall Sedum (Hylodelphium hybrid)
See what a nice backdrop 'Maestro' tall sedum makes for 'Sienna Sunset' Coreopsis (Coreopsis Hybrid) in the photo above? Alternating in the spotlight, 'Maestro's leaves are blue-green in spring. Its coreopsis companion begins flowering in early summer, and when it finishes, cuts back about a third of the plant. By then, the plant's leaves will have aged to burgundy and the blooms will have faded. Perennial Flowering Type Pink flowers bloom late summer on burgundy foliage Light Full sun to part shade Size 24 to 30 inches tall and 20 to 24 inches.
'Mr. Goodbud 'Tall Sedum (Hylodylphium hybrid)
Compact 'Mr. Goodbud has brilliant purple-pink flowers in late summer, quite different from other tall sedums with dusty pink flowers. Its leaves are medium green and the stems have a burgundy blush. Dense flower clusters make this cultivar ideal for mass plantings. Late summer perennial blooms purple-pink flowers Light Full sun Size 16 to 18 inches tall and 18 to 24 inches wide Hardiness USDA zones 4 to 9 Cool
Autumn Charm™ Sedum (Hylodelphium 'Lajos')
The creamy white edges of its leaves are an eye-catching autumn beauty even when not in bloom. Then its flowers form and the striking white buds match the white until they open pink and age brick red Type Perennial Flowers White flower buds open to pink in late summer, then age to brick red in fall Light Full sun Size 12 to 18 inches. Tall and wide hardy in USDA zones 3 through 9
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Rock 'n Grow® 'Lemonjade' Tall Sedum (Hylotelphium hybrid)
For more unusual flower colors, check out Rock 'n Grow 'Lemonjade', which has 5- to 7-inch pale yellow flowers. Cold weather brings a change to its flowers – they take on a rosy blush to end the season. Type Perennial Flowers pale yellow with a rose blush in late summer Age Full sun to part shade Size 16 to 18 inches tall and 26 to 28 inches.
‘Hot Stuff’ tall sedum (Sedum spectabile)
Create a berm so you can enjoy the flowers of this short plant better. This tilts the plants just enough so you can see the flowers instead of the stems. 'Hot Stuff' easily reduces heat reflected off a driveway or sidewalk, so it's also a perfect edging plant. However, flowers attract a lot of bees, so you should not choose them for high-traffic areas. Smaller cultivars like these are best in containers in warm places where other plants may be affected. Perennial Flowering Type Pink Flowers Late Summer Blooms Light Full Sun to Part Shade Size 10 to 12 inches tall and 12 to 15 inches.
'T Rex' Tall Sedum (Hylodelphium hybrid)
'De Rex' is known (and named) for the serrated edge of the leaves - you'll notice it more in spring. Even as it grows tall and wide, 'T Rex's strong stems will stand and not fail. This cultivar does not require fencing or mowing. Varieties Perennial Flowers Dense rose blooms turning dusty rose as they age in late summer Light Full sun to part shade Size 24 to 28 inches tall and 28 to 32 inches Hardiness USDA zones 3 to 10 Cool
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