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Border Sedums For Late-Summer Colour
Ali Barwani looks at the late-summer flowering succulent Hylotelephium (formerly Sedum). This free-flowering group of plants provides both garden colour a valuable food source for foraging bees and butterflies.
There is a warm mist in the air this morning as I walk to work, and I notice that orb weaver spiders have started festooning shrubs with their dew-heavy webs; autumn is approaching.
We are due a plant delivery this morning, but my thoughts are about Fury, one of our garden centre cats. He didn’t appear at feeding time last night, so his brother Pablo scoffed two suppers.
As the morning sun begins to burn away the greyness a gentle hum begins as first the bumblebees start their urgent search for nectar, later to be joined by honeybees and hoverflies.
Garden centres are loved by insect pollinators because here flowers are available all year round. This summer we have been visited by masses of bees and scores of foraging butterflies, the sign of a healthy environment.
Gardens can also provide a floral oasis for foraging insects. To make your garden a valuable habitat for pollinators it is important to provide pollen and nectar-rich flowers for as many months of the year as possible. As we move into late August gardeners often find that their borders and pots fade and become devoid of flowers. So how do you extend the flowering season?
‘The Ice Plant Cometh’
My top choice for an insect-friendly autumn flowering plant is the border sedum, commonly known as the ice plant.
Border sedums have upright, succulent stems and fleshy foliage. Their leaves are slightly toothed at the margins. These juicy plants look full of promise. And their pledge is to provide masses of flat flowerheads composed of numerous tiny nectar rich flowers.
Why Plant Them?
Ice plants are easy to grow hardy perennials. They form solid clumps that give spread and height. They are sun-loving and drought resistant, perfect for a sunny position in the garden with well-drained soil. Most types fall within the 30 -70 cm height range.
Border sedums are easy to care for. They produce clouds of colourful flat flowerheads on upright stems as summer ends. The flat inflorescences attract late-summer butterflies and bees. Ice plant flowerheads are always visited by bands of pollinating insects on sunny days.
Border sedums come in a range of flower colours: white, shades of pink, red and purple. Some forms offer the bonus of dramatic purple foliage.
The plants die-off above ground during winter, but fresh rosettes resembling miniature cabbages will reappear the following spring. Many gardeners leave the dead flowerheads on the plants during the winter – the chocolatey-brown silhouettes look spectacular on a frosty morning.
Expert tip: in late May you can try the ‘Chelsea Chop’ on established ice plants. That means, cutting the stems back by about a third using shears or secateurs. This action will delay flowering for a couple of weeks and keep the plants more compact and less prone flopping over. Alternatively, you can place a supporting grow ring over them in spring.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/pruning/chelsea-chop
‘What is in a name?’
Many gardeners will be familiar with the name Sedum, used for a wide range of garden succulents including the ice plant. This catchall genus has recently been reviewed by botanists, with the aim to better reflect plant evolutionary history and move towards name stability.
As a result of distinct differences discovered by morphological and genetic analysis at the University of Tokyo, border sedums have been moved to an allied genus – Hylotelephium. For example, Sedum spectabile is now Hylotelephium spectabile.
What does this mean to the gardener? It’s nothing to worry about, name changes takes time. Ask us for a Sedum, Hylotelephium or an ice plant and we will know what you require. However, it is useful to know that the RHS has adopted the new nomenclature, and you will find it used in their website, new publications, and in their gardens. It is also used by BBC Gardener’s World – so expect to find Monty, Adam and Carol calling them Hylotelephium!
https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-grow-sedums/
Some Recommend Varieties.
The classic variety of ice plant is Hylotelephium spectabile ‘Autumn Joy’ (you will also find this plant labelled as Hylotelephium ‘Herbstfreude’). This form has flat heads of dusty pink flowers set against greenish-grey succulent foliage.
Hylotelephium spectabile ‘Mr Goodbud’. A darker, dusky pink variety with a higher density of buds, giving a fuller flowerhead. The pink flowers age well to deep red.
Hylotelephium spectabile ‘Red Cauli’ has darker green stems and leaves than ‘Autumn Joy’, and its flowers are red.
Hylotelephium spectabile ‘Iceberg’ has pale Eau de Nil leaves and white flower-heads.
Hylotelephium telephium ‘Purple Emperor’. This plant is worth growing for its deep purple foliage alone. Its flowers are pink in the bud, opening to white.
Hylotelephium ‘Lime Twister’. A small, low growing type. Ideal for edging a sunny border or growing in a container. Lime Twister has variegated leaves with pale green centres edged with cream-yellow. It often continues to produce masses of pale flowers into late October.
Good Companions.
Hylotelephiums look great planted with other late-summer flowering plants.
Grasses such as Stipa tenuissima and Pennisetum pravissima soften any planting scheme, adding texture and movement. Miscanthus nepalensis is another favourite late summer grass that adds vertical elegance to the border. As August ends, it starts producing soft, creamy-white flower plumes that gracefully age to bronze.
If you want an injection of colourful fireworks then crocosmias will provide that floral fanfare. These come in energy-adding colours; from red, orange, and yellow, through to salmon, burnt orange and purplish-red. I recommend Crocosmia ‘Emily McKenzie, it produces arching stems bearing large, orange flowers that are splashed with red – it really makes an impact!
Japanese anemones lend a romantic feel to borders. Finally, Eupatorium, with its big heads of small pink -purple flowers is equally attractive to late summer bees and butterflies as Hylotelephiums.
And what about the missing cat?
I am helping to bring in some plant trolleys from the new delivery. As we reach the top of the slope in the perennials area I stop to breathe, but also to admire the plants. I lean on the trolley while I stand looking across the display tables. I spot two Red Admiral butterflies drinking nectar on the flat heads of Hylotelephium spectabile ‘Autum Joy’, adding to its beauty. Glinting and dancing in the sunshine is a Small Copper butterfly, it is being chased by a slinky tabby cat. Fury is fine. He turns and looks at me, and seems to ask, ‘where is my breakfast?’
Further reading:
Some more ideas for adding autumn colour to your garden.
