Sedum telephium Chocolate Cherry - Autumn Stonecrop

Sedum 'Chocolate Cherry' is a new cultivar of a robust perennial plant with succulent foliage, also known as orpine reprise. This variety stands out for its compact habit, disease resistance, and its dark and rich colours. It forms a remarkable harmony between the foliage and the flowering. Its dark purple foliage with purple to chocolate reflections bears clusters of purple flower buds, which open into dark red star-shaped flowers. The spectacle takes place from July to September, animating sunny flower beds, rockeries, borders, and patios.

Sedum telephium (synonyms Hylotelephium telephium, S. purpurascens) is a robust perennial plant from the Crassulaceae family. It is native to central Europe, especially the Caucasus, the Bithynia region in Turkey, and Siberia. It has naturalised in many regions where it can be found growing among rocks, at the base of hedges, and in the understory. It is an almost indestructible plant, capable of tolerating shade, moist or dry soils.

The 'Chocolate Cherry' cultivar, bred in the Netherlands by Marco Van Noort, has recently been introduced to the horticultural market. This plant, which disappears in winter, forms a bushy and upright clump from spring to autumn, spreading up to 40cm (16in), composed of sturdy purple stems that rise up to 30cm (12in) from the ground. They bear oval, thick, glabrous, flat leaves that are arranged alternately and are sessile (without petioles). This deciduous foliage displays remarkable shades: dark purple-violet with brown reflections and occasionally some green reflections These nuances vary, like most of its relatives in the same genus, depending on climatic conditions, and the amount of light and water received. Its long-lasting flowering consists of generous dense corymbs, almost flat-topped, composed of multiple dark red flower buds that open into small star-shaped red flowers, highly valued by pollinating insects.

Orpines are proof that poor soil can grow beautiful specimens with generous flowering. You can still benefit from hardy perennials if your soil is poor, rather dry, even rocky or slightly chalky. They withstand temperatures below -15°C (5°F), require no maintenance, and promise to enliven the garden with a constant flutter of butterflies. These succulents are easy-going and offer flowers and foliage in various shades to create dazzling displays in flower beds or containers.

Sedum 'Chocolate Cherry' offers a palette of sumptuous shades that allow for multiple associations. The trend is for combinations of purples and golds: for example, pair it with goldenrod, solidago, Sedum acre (very invasive), or heucheras with golden or amber foliage. Blue flowers enhance brown and purple shades: plant 'Chocolate Cherry' in a perennial flax sowing, alongside wild chicory or perennial geraniums like 'Blue Cloud' or 'Rozanne'. Pink flowers of certain yarrows ('Love Parade', 'Cerise Queen'), and Coreopsis 'Limerock Passion' also go well with purple sedums. In a natural setting, combine it, for example, with grasses such as stipa, muhlenbergia, panicum, certain sedges, and plants with grey foliage that often tolerate the same difficult living conditions. You can create an unforgettable scene by pairing it with autumn asters ('Vasterival', 'Calliope', A. turbinellus), or magellan fuchsias. Magnificent in a pot, it is also an excellent flower for drying or for fresh bouquets.