Family: Crassulaceae
Habitat: Widespread all over the world.
Cultivation: Sedum requires little maintenance. Many species are happy with just rainwater and no irrigation when grown outdoors and can withstand temperatures below 0ºC. For potted specimens, choose bright locations and water sparingly.
Curiosity: Sedum means ‘plant, annual herb’ in Latin. Such a generic name is justified by the wide distribution of this genus. Recently, this plants have become pupular in roof coverings, the so-called “green roofs”.

KEY FEATURES

The Sedum genus includes a large number of small, perennial, groundcovering succulents with very low requirements.

Sedum is a vast genus, and includes very diverse plants. In general they are small in size (reaching 20 to 50 cm in height, depending on the species) with a groundcover or bushy habit.

Their leaves are very fleshy and can have different shapes, wide or more rounded. They grow in rosettes that are usually bright green, sometimes with purple or reddish pigmentation.

The flowers are usually small but brightly coloured.

Sedums are used for borders, green carpets or in pots as hanging plants.

VARIETY AND TYPES

Here below we list a few species of Sedum.

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• S. acre
• S. acre cv. aureum
• S. adolphii
• S. album
• S. anacampseros
• S. brevifolium
• S. burrito
• S. compressum
• S. cuspidatum
• S. dasyphyllum
• S. dendroideum
• S. floriferum
• S. furfuraceum
• S. hernandezii
• S. hintonii
• S. humifusum
• S. kamtschaticum
• S. litorale
• S. maximum
• S. monregalense
• S. moranense
• S. morganianum

TIPS FOR GROWING

Sedums need very little care. Here are a few tips:

• Some species prefer direct sun, others half-shade. Anyway all of them adapt well to bright spot as long as they are protected from sunlight during the hottest hours of the day.
• The minimum tolerated temperature depends on the species. A few species are native from the subtropical areas and cannot go below 8ºC. Others are frost-resistant, such as “Sedum spectabile”, which can bear temperatures until -10ºC!
• If left outdoors, many species of Sedum don’t need to be watered. If you place them indoors instead, water them about twice a week in Spring and Summer and only when the soil dries completely in Winter.
• Sedums have no specifical needs regarding soil. The most important thing is to choose a well-draining substrate. To grow them in pots, a standard soil for cacti or a mix of sand and peat is the best option.
• Fertilization is not necessary if the plant is repotted regularly. In any case, it’s advisable to do it once a year in early spring.
• Repot in Spring when the roots are no longer able to grow easily in the pot (usually about every two years). Choose large, shallow pots.
• Sedums can be propagated easily by leaf or branch cuttings.