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| Sorry for the rambling post. Scroll down to PROBLEM if you don't want the back story.
BACKGROUND: Ok, last year, I planted a new perennial bed in my front landscape. I killed the lawn in early spring and planted the garden in June.
There are 4 varieties of sedum. 'Angelina' is a groundcover.... she's fine. 'Matrona' is a nice clump.... doing well, except 1 plant that came back looking rather pitiful, but I had thought I'd lost that one. 'Mediovariegata' looks good so far, but I might need to pinch it to keep it in check. It "flopped" last year, but that could have been from having moved it to this spot while it was already pretty big. My PROBLEM child was 'Purple Emperor'.
I read that Sedums do not like fertilizer... which I didn't use, but there might have been some left in the soil from the lawn service having fertilized.
The designer wants me to use another 3-4 of 'Purple Emperor' but before I sink more money into this plant, I need to know if it's a dud? The area I'd be using it in gets little/no irrigation and has been under plastic and about 6" of landscape rock (courtesy of the previous owners) for probably 8-10 years, so it is a spot of 'neglect'.
I am not glued to the idea of a sedum, but it does have to be dark foliage. I have enough heuchera in this bed, so no heuchera suggestions, please. Any opinions of Euphobia 'Bonfire'? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| It's not a dud. It's a good plant with a good show. But, if the area is moist to wet, or if you fertilize, or if you water, then it will flop or rot out. Full sun, no care. By all means, trim them back in spring. |
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- Posted by echinaceamaniac 7 (My Page) on Thu, May 12, 11 at 18:34
| Purple Emperor gets burned by too much sun. I had some and they looked bad unless planted in partial shade. I know you're in a colder zone, so that may not apply there. |
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- Posted by christinmk z5b eastern WA (My Page) on Thu, May 12, 11 at 21:31
| In general I think 'Purple Emperor' IS considered to be a sedum that is slower to establish/get big than others... I've had mine for maybe four years and it has been rather slow in bulking up. The darker leafed forms seem to be a bit picky when it comes to location too (need SUPER sharp drainage)- at least that is what I have found here. Flopping isn't an issue in my garden, but I know some folks pinch back their sedums to prevent that. If you do pinch, keep the nippings to propagate more sedum. Simply stick the cuttings in the ground and give a few months and you will have more. Very easy plant to make more of! ;-) |
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| All my dark Sedum have trouble in too much sun. Black Jack has been slow and it does burn. Ask the designer what she thinks of using Sambucus Black Lace you could keep it at 3-4'. Nice dark foilage |
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- Posted by thisismelissa z4a-S Twin Cities MN (My Page) on Fri, May 13, 11 at 15:53
| Marquest .... Thanks for the suggestion for Black Lace Elderberry, but it is only marginally hardy here in z4. A winter with little/no snow will cause it to die to the ground and it takes a few years for it to rebound. I have 3 of them and will probably move them this year, but not to that spot..... they'd also be a little too similar to the Diablo Ninebark that is 4 feet away. Update on the sedum. A nursery owner I know told me he thinks it didn't flop. He thinks it looks like it died at the ground last year. I then surmised that the remaining 3 tiny plants are just rooted "cuttings" from the dead plant, since they're not where I'd planted the 1 gallon pots. These look to be about the same sizes another sedum (mediovariegata) that flopped last year as a result of stress from moving it.... and now has a tiny baby next to a full-size plant. He also shared that nurseries often use their own potting mix recipe for growing the plants and the recipe usually holds too much moisture. So, that can start the plant off too moist right from the beginning. Perhaps this spot is not well suited to a dark sedum. It's south facing and will likely receive sun from sun-up till about 4pm. If the darker varieties do sun burn, then this spot is likely to cause that. |
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| It is probably your soil. My Purple Emperor lives in a sandy fast-draining soil in a dappled shade and is a very happy upright plant. |
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| My Purple Emperor is in full sun and was a start off one I was losing. Doesn't stay as purple as I would like. Black Jack didn't survive here but I think it was a nursery problem. Stems never did look quite right. Not bothering with another. I have a couple other greens and several ground cover Sedums and feel they can grow anywhere, but think the dark ones just don't do quite as well. JMO If I were you and did not want anymore Heuchera there, try the one you suggested and see if it does better. |
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| Good Morning ~ My sedum troubles are of a diff sort ~ have 3 of the rockery types, all yellow bloomers but couldn't really name them ~ even went to Sedum Scty index. I'm trying to cover up an ugly (rebuilt) 4ft tallx40ft long retaining-wall ~ I planted a climbing Anomala Hydrangea in '06. It is just now really taking off as expected ~ however sedums that must have been there in the earlier life of retaining wall has also flourished. I have been plucking the sedums sprouting intermingled w/ Anomala's greens as I'd like for her twines w/ rootlets to latch on well on the retaining-wall & crevices. My ?? ~ Is there nothing to discourage tricky sedums from showing up at all? Will these little guys always be there & plucking the only recourse? I have sedums in other bed settings & can control there in those settings! Ideas please? ~ TIA |
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- Posted by purpleinopp 8b AL (My Page) on Sat, May 14, 11 at 18:21
| ditas, you may want to start your own discussion. |
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