This week I'd like to share with you my love of sedums. A genus of nearly 500 species, of which 400 are hardy in Ireland....apparently. I have around 30, including cultivars, so probably more like 20 actual species. Not many in comparison to what's out there, which is very exciting. Many of the common and even unusual ones we can grow here are perfectly fine in regular, ordinary growing conditions as long as the ground is not waterlogged, especially in winter.
As you can see, sedums come in a dazzling variety of shapes, colours and sizes - this is a random selection of hardy sedum in pots that I took pictures of just a week ago (July 2025).
Many of the larger-leaved species and varieties originate from warm climates and therefore need winter protection from freezing. Below are a selection of sedum which need winter protection from freezing mostly except for one surprising jewel pictured top-middle in the collage below:
Sedum perez dela rosae recently discovered in the Mexican highlands around 1985 is completely hardy as long as it's kept dry in winter. I find it is perfectly happy in tiny pots and will tolerate even very wet summers outdoors. If kept indoors it becomes stretched and soft. whereas outside it keeps its tight rosettes. I leave it in winter under a roof with no other protection from the elements and have never lost one yet.
There are many exceptions, of course, but generally being dry in winter gives better success than being out in rain and frost together. Sedum Palmeri (pictured below to the left) for example, is quite a large leaf for a sedum, but survives happily in most Irish gardens outdoors all year. In cold winters, it's deciduous but usually returns in spring. I place mine under a roof to avoid rain and it stays evergreen even in cold winters. Sedum Palmeri which we have accidentally had at Ardcarne, arrived wrongly labelled as an Aeonium. Once repotted and relabeled it went outside and sold very quickly because it is quite exotic looking for a hardy plant.
Sedum Dasyphyllum Major (pictured below - middle) is a delight with its minuscule blue colonies of rosettes that spread across the surface of pots and spill over the edges in cascading ribbons. It makes a fantastic groundcover foil with other larger leaved succulents. Hardy to -12°C but rarely completely dies off if left out, there is generally enough, if even just a tiny piece, to regrow like wildfire, the following season, if given some slow release fertilizer to get it going. It comes in major and minor with minor being larger leaved than major....why? Who knows! Both minor and major blush pink when deprived of nutrients or extreme sunshine. This one we have in Ardcarne regularly as part of sedum six packs.
From left to right - Sedum Palmeri, Sedum Dasyphyllum Major & Sedum Origanum - Photos by Brendan Dean 2025
Another spectacular and easy Sedum is S. Origanum usually forest green, but when nutrient stressed turns bright red, but continues to grow...Completely hardy and spreads easily ..this one also comes to Ardcarne as part of a six pack (Pictured above-right).
The genus is so diverse one could write a book about them. Pictured below, left is Sedum Takesimense 'Atlantis' a variegated sport of its plainer ancestor which originates in eastern Russia and the Japanese islands. It is a deciduous hardy sedum tolerating temperatures down to below -30°C. Atlantis took gold medal at Chelsea in 2019 and is a spectacular addition to any pot or garden as you can see. The emerging leaves are coral pink turning to white, then variegated green and it is amazingly drought tolerant even in very small pots. Its one of my favourites and has been seen for sale in Ardcarne several years in a row.
Pictured from left to right - Sedum Takesimense 'Atlantis', Sedum reflexum mix & Sedum Album
Spectacular though many sedums are, and many are just green but have their own unique qualities which I love, I am fond of mixing them with other sedums and succulents in general, for a more complete display in one pot. I usually get at least 3-4 years out of this before they need repotting, which involves removing all the old soil and replacing it, This also gives me a chance to simultaneously de-weed the arrangement as it is almost inevitable here that dandelions and other robust weeds seed into the pots. The great thing is that the actual plants rebound with enthusiasm every time....not bad for 4 years of practically ignoring them...they don't even need much watering in summer.
You can see a 4yr old mix of Sedum reflexum (above-middle) with Sedum rupestre 'Angelina' and Phedimus spurius 'Dragon's Blood' with some Alpine campanulas and sedum album seeded into it....as you can see its looking a bit hungry and not so lush there, so it's time to repot. This should have been done in March, but anytime will do really as these plants are very hardy and resilient and respond quickly to an improvement in their environment. I love these mixes for giving as gifts for table tops etc.....all of these are common in garden centres everywhere and appear at Ardcarne Garden Centre at various times throughout the year.
I couldn't go any further without mentioning the amazingly resistant Sedum Album, which is not only the parent of many different coloured cultivars, but an extraordinary plant in itself. I first came across it in Sligo when in college - it was growing on a glass roofed veranda with no soil present at all, and yet it flowered and spread happily. The pot shown (above-right) is 4" clay which has not changed in 4-5yrs.....the plant is a bit greener this year because I sprinkled some Humber Palmer on it a while ago, otherwise the leaves were pink and apricot due to nutrient deficiency. It regularly seeds itself into my gutters and onto the neighbour's flat roof below my roof garden where it has covered half the roof below growing in moss and nothing else. I love it in pots and with other plants because its completely maintenance free except for an occasional sprinkle of feed every few years....what could be easier.
Sedum Album and phedimus 'Dragon's Blood' (left) and two Succulent Hanging Basket Displays (middle and right).
Last but not least, because I am writing this on a Saturday evening and its too hot this year, I experimented with succulent hanging baskets for the craic....as you do....so far they look great and are easy maintenance especially in this hot weather - perhaps some more red or purple is needed but the best thing is that these will just carry on next year, improving all the time, and I can add or subtract as I wish...
Why not experiment with these wonderful plants yourself and see what displays you can come up with in pots, baskets or maybe even something less conventional...?
All the best!
Brendan.
Brendan has been a valuable staff member at Ardcarne Garden Centre for 4 years now. With a passion for plants, Brendan is also a visual artist, working in multi media and multi-disciplines. including, painting, drawing, print, photography, sculpture, & video. You can check out some of Brendan's work on his facebook page.
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