Sedum SunSparkler Cherry Tart - Stonecrop

Sedum 'Cherry Tart' is a brand new variety of stonecrop belonging to a remarkable series of hybrids called SunSparkler®, selected in the U.S.A. This small plant grows as a creeping cushion, forming a unique ground cover with succulent dark purple foliage that will maintain its intensity throughout the season. With naturally dense growth, 'Cherry Tart' is adorned with a delightful raspberry pink flowering in late summer, creating a beautiful harmony with the foliage. This low-maintenance plant requires only a sunny exposure. Plant it along a dry pathway, in a rockery, as ground cover around perennial beds, or even in a pot on a patio.

Sedums belong to the Crassulaceae family. 'Cherry Tart', recently obtained in the United States by Chris Hansen, is a hybrid cultivar derived from different species and varieties of sedum. Having a creeping habit, it forms compact cushions, gradually spreading, without hollowing in the centre. It reaches a height of 20cm (8in) and spreads over 30 to 40cm (12 to 16in). Flowering occurs from August to October, only ceasing with the first frosts. The inflorescences, in dense flat terminal cymes, are sufficiently airy to allow the foliage to show through. The tiny flowers emerge as purple-violet buds, then open into fuchsia pink to raspberry pink. Intensely nectar-rich, they attract many butterflies and bees. The herbaceous stems are robust, short, and purple in colour, emerging from the basal foliage composed of small fleshy leaves, with an unusual colour that ranges between purple and cherry red. The leaves are flat and ovate, arranged in clusters around the stems. This completely deciduous plant disappears in late autumn and re-emerges from the ground in spring.

A blessing for gardens with thin soil and ideal for flower pots, sedum is a plant in tune with the times. Requiring nothing more than sunshine, it thrives in poor soils, is water-efficient, naturally beautiful, and requires very little maintenance. Pair it with small grasses like graceful stipa, muhlenbergia, panicum, and some carex, as well as grey-leaved plants that often tolerate the same difficult living conditions. You can create an unforgettable scene by combining it with ground-covering thymes (Thymus ciliatus, T. hirsutus, T. longicaulis), lady's mantles, and small blue fescues ('Intense Blue'). SunSparkler sedums are absolutely stunning in flower pots and planters.