Sedum clavatum

Sedum clavatum is also known as the Mexican stonecrop due to its origins. It is a prolific small succulent plant that quickly forms a small clump of round rosettes with light colours. Its white flowering is charming, in late spring. It is an easy-to-grow plant, but sensitive to cold. Outside of coastal gardens where it can be used in a partially shaded rockery, it will look wonderful in a large pot or a hanging basket to be protected in winter.

Sedum or Hylotelephium clavatum is a small perennial plant of the family Crassulaceae. It is a botanical species native to Mexico, where it is only found in the gorges of Tiscalatengo in the south of the state of Mexico. Its species name, clavatum, comes from the Latin word "clava" which means club, due to the shape of its leaves. With rapid growth, this stonecrop does not exceed 10 cm in height but can spread up to 40 cm in width, or even more. Its creeping stems are branched, and they bear round leaf rosettes that can measure 3 to 7 cm in diameter. The leaves are very fleshy and small, club-shaped, chalky, and overlapping with each other. Their colour can vary depending on the season and exposure, ranging from glaucous green to almost white or bluish-white. They partially turn pink in winter due to the cold. In May-June, short oval-shaped flower spikes of 10-12 cm appear. Each spike carries numerous small star-shaped white flowers measuring a few mm in diameter. The hardiness of this sedum is low, around -4 to -6°C if planted in dry soil. It should be brought indoors in winter in a temperate greenhouse or any bright and lightly heated space.

In the wild, this clavatum stonecrop thrives in partial shade in rock crevices, where it can live with little soil. These are conditions that gardeners can easily provide, in pots or even in the ground in mild climates. Rampant sedums are a blessing for stony areas, rockeries, and places where the soil is thin and poor. To accompany them, choose, for example, houseleeks or Delosperma. All these small plants will create a colourful mosaic.