Sedum Strawberry and Cream - Stonecrop

The Sedum ‘Strawberry and Cream’ or Autumn Stonecrop is a fleshy succulent plant, very accommodating. It produces splendid inflorescences in shades of pink and cream, enhanced by green-purple foliage. Its abundant and dense flowering turns dark red to burgundy in late autumn. It pairs perfectly with dahlias and mugworts and offers stunning autumn pots.

The 'Strawberry and Cream' Sedum is a perennial plant that grows in a compact round clump, reaching 30 cm (12in) in all directions. As part of the larger Stonecrop family, its upright stems are green-purple, varying in intensity depending on climatic conditions. They bear deciduous, pedunculate, thick and fleshy leaves arranged in an opposite manner, with dark green-purple colour and oval-oblong shape, undulate and serrate margin (serrated edge). It has a late flowering period from September to October, composed of densely packed clusters of small flowers, initially pink and cream, evolving into a burgundy shade throughout autumn. These corymbs (clusters) at the tops of the stems will completely cover the plant, creating a carpet of flowers that will attract bees and birds.

Easy to grow and highly hardy (-20°C (1°F)), it does have one weakness: it is sensitive to wet soils during the winter period. It prefers sunny exposures, and also adapts to dry climates, with partial shade exposure during part of the day, in well-drained, dry to moist, slightly alkaline or acidic soils.

Its decorative aspect lasts a long period, starting from the formation of buds in July, allowing it to enhance flower beds with mugworts, dahlias, or hebes, as well as mixed borders with grasses such as stipas or fescues.

Anecdote: Stonecrops were once used as medicinal plants for treating burns, cuts, and hemorrhages.