Sedum Season

The bridge between summer and autumn is the time when Sedums, which have been a quiely growing presence in the garden since the spring, really come into their own. Here are a few that caught my eye today; some still in bud, others just starting to open their platters of nectar-packed flowers, and 'Purple Emperor' already coming to a peak. A glance at the RHS 'Plant Finder' shows the plethora of named selections now available, including several with dessert-themed appelations, such as 'Gooseberry Fool' (see below),  'Raspberry Truffle' and – one of my favourite bonkers plant names of all time – 'Stewed Rhubarb Mountain', the latter raised by Cotswold Garden Flowers in the early 90s. Sedums are a promsicuous lot, so I don't expect seedlings to come true, but this means I get some interesting surprises popping up from time to time. While all are good for insects, none can beat the pulling power of the 'bog standard' ice-plant Sedum spectabile, with 'Autumn Joy' (= 'Herbstfreude') deservedly being a widely grown cultivar. This is a quintessentially September plant for us, and given a few sunny days, our clumps of 'Autumn Joy' will be attracting late-season butterflies such as Red Admirals, Small Tortoiseshells, Commas and Small Coppers throughout the coming month.

Sedum 'Matrona'

Sedum erythrostictum 'Frosty Morn'

Sedum 'Ruby Glow'

Sedum telephium 'Purple Emperor'

Sedum telephium 'Gooseberry Fool'