Quiz question: What was the perennial of the year 2011? Right, the fat hen. Find out here what is so special about this plant and how it is grown.
The sedum plant, which is now available in many flower colors (white, yellow, red, pink), and which was voted Perennial of the Year 2011, can be found in gardeners in many places. The reason for this is that the plant variety, which consists of numerous subspecies, can be cultivated with very little care and some of its flowers form as early as June and usually last well into autumn (October). During this extremely long flowering period, the sedum becomes a magnet for butterflies and other insects.
The sedum plant, which actually comes from Asia, is very suitable for cultivation in rock gardens or for green roofs! Especially since they are available in different growth heights up to about 60 centimeters.
Here are a few particularly beautiful varieties of sedum and important information on cultivation and care of the plant.
Our flavor recommendations
- Herbstfreude - very widespread variety, flowering until December
- Matrona - pink umbels, burgundy foliage, 50 centimeters tall
- Fuldaglut - attractive, red colored foliage, similar to a ground cover
- Nanum - very low-growing variety
- Angelina - 20 centimeters high, yellow flowers, orange-yellow leaves in autumn
- Coral Carpet - coral red flower that only unfolds in autumn
- Weihenstehander Gold - low-growing variety grown in Bavaria, yellow flowers
- Robustum - bright red flowers that often last into November
- Purple stonecrop - very tall cultivar, spreads via rhizomes
- Maximum - formation of flowers from green to yellow, extremely robust variety
- Carl - bright pink flowers that bloom into early fall
- Chloroticum - white flowers, evergreen
- Dark Red - red flowers, conspicuous leaf formation, only 30 centimeters tall
- Brilliant - pink flower, very rare to find in gardens
- Tripmadam - can also be used as a salad and spice plant
- Nice - tealFoliage colouration, needs to be kept extremely dry, ideally in rockeries
- Evergreens - also suitable for cultivation in semi-shade
- Rosenteller - dark pink flowers, only 30 centimeters tall
- John Creek - salmon pink flower, dark red foliage, can be used as groundcover
Cultivation of the sedum plant
The sedum plants, also known as stonecrops, which are available in specialist shops as perennials, should always be planted in full sun with soil that is as permeable as possible. Only a few varieties tolerate a light penumbra.
The sedum plant is also very suitable for cultivation in pots, which is why you can easily keep this plant on balconies and terraces. However, you should note that you only use drainage-capable vessels.
Care for sedum properly
Casting:
The stonecrop, which got its name from its thick, water-storing leaves, needs little water during the season and is extremely sensitive to waterlogging. Because of this, you should only water the plant during longer dry periods and on particularly hot days.
Fertilize:
You can usually do without fertilizing the plant all year round: You should only supply the sedum plant with complete fertilizer if it is urgently needed. In autumn, however, you should provide the sedum with a little fresh compost.
Pruning:
The sedum plant is also one of the hardy perennials, which is why you should only cut it back in spring, just before new shoots form. This has the advantage that even in winter the partially dried flower stalks in combination with snow and ice are still a particularly impressive sight.
Hint:
Sedum hens are suitable as cut flowers for the vase. You can also dry the sedum and tie it into wreaths and dried bouquets.
Propagation:
You can propagate the sedum plant as a cutting in a glass of water (cut off in July/August), whereby it forms new root fibers after a very short time. Or by carefully dividing existing perennials in spring.