Sedum! Sedum! Sedum!

The quintessential plant for the fall season has to be sedum. This is one hardy, tough, drought tolerant plant that looks great all year. I love love love it in my garden-in any garden really!

I grow many cultivars including the common 'Autumn Joy', 'Brilliant', 'Blue Spruce' sedum, 'Acre', 'Matrona', the new cultivar 'Autumn Flame', and probably about half a dozen more; names unknown to me. This post happens to highlight only 'Autumn Joy' but believe me when I tell you that you can't go wrong with any sedum as long as you site it properly. 


I have had problems with some sedums flopping. I don't like that trait at all but I've found the problem is usually with the site I have chosen for the sedums. Sedums seem to prefer a lean soil in full sun. The rich organic soil I strive for here in Tiger Gardens is not what sedums desire. The soil plus the fact my gardens are sun challenged does not help the situation at all. If you wish to grow sedums well place them in full sun in average well drained soil.

Here we have a view of my Rear Center Garden. This time last year this garden was bare due to the extended drought and extreme heat we experienced last year. After that experience I decided to fix the situation by placing all drought tolerant perennials in this bed. These perennials include: alliums, bulbs, catmint, sedums, daylilies, gray headed coneflowers, ornamental grasses, smoke trees, thermopsis, irises, and asters. There are also a few peonies in this bed. I simply can't garden without peonies in all my beds. Unfortunately peonies don't look all that great by the the time the fall rolls around. Nonetheless they are fillers in this bed and will shine again come spring. The pink aster you see blooming midway in this bed is 'HoneySong'. There are two blue ones on the other side of 'HoneySong'. Asters are as drought tolerant as sedums and are also my go to fall plant of choice. They make a great companion for the sedums in this bed.

Sedums are one of those perennials that can grow really big depending on the cultivar. The sheer size of large well grown sedums allow them to be used as specimen plants but personally I think sedums should be massed in groups of five or more. Good companion plants for sedums are any of the straight bladed plants like irises or daylilies, red hot pokers, or ornamental grasses. The aforementioned asters are also a nice contrast for sedums.

This last picture was not taken in my garden but at the Huntsville Botanical Gardens. (My friend Phil took it and I am just borrowing it as I did not get a good picture of the sedums in the gardens). I sure wish I had the space to have a large swath of sedums backed by ornamental grasses as is pictured in this photo. 

Mr. Fix-it, Jimmy and myself recently journeyed to Tuscumbia Alabama to visit the Birthplace of Helen Keller and to visit the Huntsville Botanical Gardens (in Huntsville which is about one hour east of Tuscumbia). We traveled with a familiar group of folks-the Montgomery County Tennessee Master Gardeners. More on that trip in a later post. For now I just wanted to share the sedums....sedums....and more SEDUMS....


in the garden....



Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Plant of the Month-Septermber 2010

From In the Garden

This month's Plant of the Month has to be the sedums. It was funny too because I truly did not expect to choose the sedums but here they are! The sedums are one of the most drought tolerant plants in my gardens, they have year round interest, there are tons of cultivars , they are easy to propagate, and they make a tremendous impact in a garden. I love them!!

The particular cultivar pictured above is 'Autumn Joy' and it grows in my Rear Center Garden along the south side under some oaks. The location is a very inhospitable place. A place so awful that not even daylilies like it. I have had to switch out several plants in my garden due to drought conditions this year and the daylilies and sedums were two that switched positions in this spot. More on that at another time.

From In the Garden

Here we have 'Autumn Joy' and 'Autumn Fire' growing in the driveway garden. This is a garden under siege from me! It is normally a spring garden which is all good and fine in the spring when we have rains but when the rains stop I wind up with very little to look at. Enter the sedums and other drought tolerant plants. I am determined to water less or not all next year so I've been busy moving plants around lately. This is one garden that has received attention in the form of added sedums. Sedums can't be beat for low maintenance. Yuccas and artemesia also grow in this garden. All three make good companions. As you can see from the above picture this garden is in part shade, actually mostly shade and under a mature oak tree, yet the sedums do okay. You gotta love that!

From In the Garden

Runners up for this month's Plant of the Month were Great Blue Lobelia (thanks Catherine!) These were started from seed back in February and even though I initially thought they were red valerian I am so very pleased with these lovely blue plants! Here they grow in a bed in the vegetable garden but I might move them all next spring to a flower garden. We'll see.

From In the Garden

Hyacinth beans are simply splendid. Not only do I have tons of seedpods but the vines are still blooming. Here they grow on the huge PVC arbor; which graces the entry to my vegetable garden.

From In the Garden

Lastly the battle for October's Plant of the Month had me seriously considering the salvias and lantanas. Here we have Pineapple sage growing alongside 'Miss Huff' lantana in a vegetable garden border. While lantana is drought tolerant and simply stunning this time of the year the sedums had it beat out for this month's coveted title of Plant of the Month....

in the garden....

What is your Plant of the Month in your garden?

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,

In the Garden

Plant of the Month-Can You Guess?

From In the Garden

The garden is looking mighty tired but there are bright spots in and amongst the drying and wilting 'sticks' in the garden. The butterfly above (I believe a clouded sulpher) is one such bright spot. It found a roost on the impatien; one of a few that has managed to bloom and do well this very dry summer. Now let's see the contenders for August's Plant of the Month.

From In the Garden

Patrina has been blooming for more than six weeks now and is a stunner! My daughter says it looks kind of like goldenrod but I just don't see it, but then again both plants are yellow. The color yellow is for sure the color of the day in my gardens. Helenium is sneaking in next to the patrina here. Patrina is a definite contender for Plant of the Month, if not for Plant of the Season.

From In the Garden

Sedums, well what can you say that is not good about the sedums? Okay, occasionally they flop but wow when they are happy and looking good! The 'Autumn Joy' clumps in my garden are all in various states of blooms due to the various amount of light they receive. I love them all but this stage of 'Autumn Joy' is particularly attractive to me. Sedums are a definite contender for Plant of the Month.

From In the Garden

The 'Knockout' roses are getting their second wind in the garden. I am a big fan of these since they are such low maintenance plants and since they do okay in the part shade conditions of my garden. This one does have a bit of leaf damage though so perhaps it is not a good contender for Plant of the Month.

From In the Garden

More helenium backed by an unknown grass. I'm not sure of the variety of grass but it does make a great foil for helenium and other perennials. Heleniums are looking good this year though it is far from their best year. Heleniums like a bit more water than what we have had here so the foliage of the heleniums is lacking in beauty. I'm not so sure helenium is the best choice for this month's Plant of the Month.

From In the Garden

Crepe myrtles are shining despite the drought and hot weather. A few do slump and wilt though and their staggered bloom, while great for a long show, does not quite make it the star this month.

From In the Garden

Ah, here we go-can you guess what I have chosen? It is ornamental grasses. Grasses are so easy to grow and require no supplemental watering in my garden. They never fail to bloom and give four seasons of interest. Yes, the ornamental grasses have it here in my gardens. While the other plants are great they do not add as much to the August gardens as the ornamental grasses; in this case it is the variety 'Adagio'. Adagio grows in part shade conditions though it would prefer full sun. It is small and compact yet big enough to make an impact and it is easy to grow and does not self seed. Division is the mode of creating more plants here for this grass. There are several more blooming here but 'Adagio' gets top billing. I think you can't go wrong with ornamental grasses....

in the garden....


Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,

In the Garden

Plant of the Month-September 09

From In the Garden

Sedums!

The choice for September's Plant of the Month is a really easy choice this month. It was between lantana and sedums. Both could easily be the plant of the month but the sedums won out by a hair. Do you see what I mean by sedums and lantana in the picture above? They both look great-really fantastic and do shine in the late summer garden. I like the form of sedums a bit more than the lantana though, so that is why the sedums won out. I grow several varieties here at Tiger Gardens. My favorite right now is Autumn Joy. I like it for the uniqueness of its flower shape and form. I also have a flat headed pink variety, 'Matrona', a couple of creepers, and a white looser form of 'Autumn Joy' and all are a sight to behold. Butterflies, bees and other flying insects sure love the sedums when they are in bloom. Sedums are not bothered by pests or diseases. They do occasionally flop; which is most annoying. Some sedums are more prone to this than others so if one does not work for you, try another. Sedums are easy to propagate by pinching them and placing the pinched section in soil. They usually will bloom the same year you took the cutting. Pinching also helps to make the sedums a bit bushier and stronger. I took a cutting of a sedum back in July and, as I am wont to do, I laid the cutting down and forgot about it. Do you know it stayed green and even bloomed while it sat outside? I finally tossed it in the compost bin because I was a bit tired of the guilt I felt each time I looked at the poor thing trying to grow with no roots, no soil, and no moisture.

You just can't beat the sedums for September's blooms and for its ease of care.

What is your September Plant of the Month?

in the garden....

Bullfrog Throats and Sedum Leaves

Have you ever played with plants and done really neat things with them? I think we all have at one time or another. Making a 'bullfrog's throat' out of a sedum leaf is a new one to me. Let's see how to do it.

Pick a nice and healthy sedum leaf, all will work but the bigger the better.

Snap the stem off cleanly.

Bruise the leaf thoroughly by squeezing it between two fingers. Be careful not to puncture or crush the leaf.

Place in mouth and blow and you have your very own bullfrog's throat.

******Note: All parts of sedum are poisonous if ingested-Do not ingest and do not touch the inside of the leaf with the mouth when blowing. This is not a trick for young children.******

I learned of this trick from a nice lady at a plant stand. She actually demonstrated the trick for me. I then showed the Jimster who has enjoyed doing it on his own. And a big thank you to him for being my demonstrator (he does not like his picture being taken). He suffered no ill effects from the sedum.

I debated posting this, but I really like the pictures and the Jimster has fun doing this trick so I decided to post it. Again, use common sense if you attempt to do this on your own! It is simply a bit of gardening fun for us....

in the garden....

Shirl's Garden Watch Desert Island Challenge

Frances sent me an email telling me of Shirl's Desert Island Challenge on Monday of this week. I just want to say to Frances-you are a gem and I am so glad you are my friend-blogging and otherwise! As you are such a good sport with everything and a super great supporter to all other bloggers! You have supported me non-stop forever, and I do appreciate it and all the other bloggers too who kindly give to others. Enough on that, now let's quickly move on before I make this a post about something else. We know I tend to post a bit too much with so many subjects:)

Shirl's Desert Island Challenge asks you what three plants you would take with you if you were marooned on a deserted island? There are no restriction on growing conditions AND food plants are already available. Hmmmmmm. Now I really, REALLY have to think on this one. I am stranded on a deserted island with nothing but the clothes on my back. Reminds me of Survivor, and oh how I do love Survivor. Now to the gardening part. I asked myself what kind of plant can I not live without? It is very hard for a plant lover and collector to only choose three plants! Shirl is generous, as she could have chosen only one plant. That would be even worse! But I think I have narrowed my choices down.

I took the angle I take in my garden-something blooming year round with TONS of color. As such, we have only three choices here so I will leave out the winter plant (probably hellebores). I also am focusing only on perennials since there are food plants there. I will assume coconuts and bananas are also there so I am leaving out trees. I have narrowed my choices down to one plant for spring, summer, and fall. Of these plant choices, I am choosing plants which will multiply quickly and give me a good long show of color. I like fragrance, but in my garden the color is my heart's desire.

It is any wonder I chose irises for my spring plant? Iris, the very name conjures visions of the rainbow. Irises are easy to grow (some would say too easy in Tennessee) and are such a delight in spring. This is my first choice of plants I'm packing for a trip. Peonies were a close second.

My second choice is a favored plant for the summer bloom period. Boy, is this one ever so hard! So many good summer plants to chose from but I have settled on rudbeckia. It is such a diverse group that is so cheerful in the summer and requires no work from the gardener. Its foliage will also be a good foil for the spikey leaves of the irises.

My final plant to join me on a deserted island is the sedums. Such easy plants they are to grow and so diverse! Its chunky foliage and strong sturdy stems will play nicely with the irises and brown eyes and the flowers will provide winter interest for me when the seasons have past. So there you have it. What three plants would you take with you to a deserted island? To check out other bloggers posts visit Shirl's blog found here.

Skeeter, can you tell me what type of butterflies these are? Or anyone? I am so bad with knowing the types.

in the deserted-oops-garden....