Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Sedum rubrotinctum; my favorite plant in the garden this week…


This week’s favorite plant, Sedum rubrotinctum, is tiny and therefore easy to miss. However when you’re out inspecting the garden after the coldest temperatures of the season (26 F in my garden), seeing this zone 9 succulent looking good is a happy moment.

Since I assumed it didn't stand a chance of overwintering I had taken cuttings back in November…

But there was so much of it I had to leave some behind, never dreaming it would still be alive in late January, in previous winters whatever wasn't brought indoors turned to mush quite quickly.

As with most sedums S. rubrotinctum is quite easy to propagate. All the plants you've seen here (and several others both dead and alive) all came from this original sedum planted in the spring of 2011...


If you live in a cooler climate just take cuttings in the fall and plant them up, overwintering on a sunny windowsill or anywhere with bright light. Come spring they can be planted directly in the ground.

Or tucked into a container.

The stats on Sedum rubrotinctum:

Perennial succulent groundcover
Zones: 9a-11
Size: 6” tall x 12” wide
Prefers full sun okay with part sun
Adaptable to most soil types
Drought tolerant, low water needs

Also known as:
  • Jellybean Sedum
  • Pork and Beans

14 comments:

  1. Lots of sedums are hardy up to zone five. My uncle has this or a very similar one growing in Michigan.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes there are a wide range of hardy sedums, thank god! I'd be very surprised to learn this one survives life in Michigan however.

      Delete
  2. Hah....24 F this morning I'm my Sedums worst enemy not the weather...stood on S. Palmeri after the snowfall !

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a great surprise that these aren't mush! If they make it through the rest of winter, you'll have tons of them!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wish I had a nice crystal ball that could tell me how much winter there is left to come...

      Delete
  4. Glad to see it hasn't turned mush for you. I wonder if this is the same sedum we have on one of our dishes? Most have turned apart from a little cluster. Not sure how that will fare now being covered with snow for the past few days.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You never know how plants will react to snow cover do you? Hopefully it will have acted like insulation.

      Delete
  5. That has always been a favourite of mine! I definitely see why its a fav. And hopefully things will continue mild enough that it will overwinter just fine :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm hoping we've just been through the worst of it (which wasn't really bad at all was it?)...dare I dream?

      Delete
  6. I have some in a strawberry pot, where they're very happy. I'll have to try them elsewhere - they look like they'd be a good filler succulent for mixed pots.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes they definitely are....and it sounds like you've got plenty of material to work with if they're filling a strawberry pot.

      Delete
  7. I love the reddish color, and have planted it many times....which should tell you something about my success rate. Guess I'll keep trying.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I had found this plant in masses in the ridges of cobble-stone on an abandoned station here in Berlin, Germany. I took a small sample home and forgot to plant, it just lay there on my balcony where it soon became very active. I didn't have a clue what plant this is, so I was flabbergasted when I saw it today in Aldi, and it had a label.

    It's been on my balcony on rare cement with crumbs of soil from the other pots, and this year I was rewarded with a carpet of the most delicate pink flowers.

    I never bothered to bring it inside in winter, with last winter being a bit fresh with temperatures dropping down to -20°C below freezing with winds from the east. I've been wondering if it has some sort of medicinal properties. It just looks as if it might have. It also looks poisonous.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to comment. Comment moderation is on (because you know: spam), I will approve and post your comment as soon as possible!