Colorful Creeping Sedums for the Mountain West

These easy-care ground covers are drought tolerant and have vibrant, eye-catching foliage

Whilesucculentshave been all the rage in recent yr as gentle - attention houseplants , I ’ve been planting audacious potpourri in my garden for year . Sedums ( Sedumspp . and cvs . , Zones 3–11 ) have become my favorite succulent , as they aredrought tolerant , have little to no disease or pest issues in our ironical climate , and postulate very small maintenance . Sedums have been increase in popularity over the year , and you will see many change from which to choose at your local garden center . In fact , there are so many corking single that I am going to focus exclusively on thecreeping background - book binding typesin this article . Each of these works will do well in dry areas of your garden , in your rock garden , or in office where you require a cascade effect . They also do well in containers . Here are a few great sedum earth book binding for the Mountain West .

‘Angelina’ sedum changes color dramatically from summer to fall

Sedum rupestre‘Angelina’Zones:5–9Size:4 to 6 inches tall and 12 to 24 inch wideConditions : Full Sunday to partial nuance ; well - drained soil

This promptly - growing sedum garners aid all year long . It has shining gullible tochartreuseneedle - like leafage in the growing time of year that turns a golden Orange River - red in tumble . That color lasts through wintertime . In early summer , it is hatch in cluster of bright yellow bloom , which Ideadheadwhen they are spend so that I can bask the foliage beneath . I have this sedum in myrock garden , but I also put it in a dry spot in the beds in my front cubic yard , where it is fly high . This sedum will now and then spread by come to other spots in the garden , but it ’s prosperous to polish off if not desire .

‘Dragon’s Blood’ sedum has fiery red flowers and stunning fall foliage

Sedum spurium‘Dragon ’s Blood’Zones:4–9Size:4 to 6 inch tall and 12 to 24 in wideConditions : Full sun ; well - drained soil

I first discovered this sedum when I know in Colorado Springs 25 years ago . A neighbor had it growing in abundance and let us dig up some chunk to put in a parkway strip between the sidewalk and the street . We wanted a low - maintenance , low - get , drought - be intimate plant , and we found it ! It speedily covered the magnanimous domain . This variety has rounded , bright green leaves that are tinged crimson or burgundy along the edges . The leaf then turn an eye - popping reddish purpleness in the decline . In summertime it has clusters of small , red , star - shaped bloom .

‘Tricolor’ sedum sports unique variegation

Sedum spurium‘Tricolor’Zones:4–9Size:4 to 6 inches tall and 12 to 18 column inch wideConditions : Full sunshine ; well - drained filth

The mostly light-green leaves of this variety are slenderly narrower than those of ‘ Dragon ’s stemma ’ . But as the plant ’s name implies , they have creamy lily-white and tripping pink margins , giving the leafage a tricolor appearance . ‘ Dragon ’s Blood ’ is covered in clustering of light pink blossoms in former summertime . This multifariousness stay a flake more compact than its relation listed above .

The foliage of six-sided sedum spirals up the stem

Sedum sexangulareZones:4–9Size:3 to 4 inches tall and 12 to 24 inches wideConditions : Full sun to fond refinement ; well - drained soil

Also called tasteless sedum , six - sided sedum is modest than the other sedums have here , with diminutive , bright green , oblong - forge leave . The foliation twist in a spiral up the fore , give it a distinctivetextureand a six - sided appearance . The leaves turn a bronze colour during fall that live on through winter . Six - sided sedum has tiny , yellow , hotshot - shaped flowers during summertime . It also grows very promptly .

While each of these sedum looks beautiful on its own , I ’ve get word some interplantings of various land - natural covering sedums that spring a sort of tapestry in the garden to sensational event . I hope you will give some of these easy - concern ground underwrite a try in your garden .

For more information on background cover , check out :

And for more Mountain West regional report , clack here .

— Michelle Provaznik is executive manager of the Gardens on Spring Creek in Fort Collins , Colorado .

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sedums

‘Dragon’s Blood’ sedum starts out the season with green foliage and turns burgundy in fall.Photo: Melissa Lucas

Angelina sedum in summer and in fall

‘Angelina’ sedum is a bright chartreuse in spring and summer (left), and it turns orange-red in fall.Photos: Michelle Gervais (left); Michelle Provaznik (right)

Dragons Blood sedum