Plant Library

Other Names:  Needle Stonecrop

Description:

Narrow light green leaves that form a tidy mat, greet the eye with this lovely groundcover; excellent for rock gardens and containers; bright yellow star flowers in late spring are quite impressive; not as cold hardy as most sedums

Ornamental Features

Carpet Sedum is bathed in stunning cymes of yellow star-shaped flowers at the ends of the stems from late spring to early summer. Its attractive succulent narrow leaves remain light green in color with distinctive creamy white edges throughout the year. The pink stems are very colorful and add to the overall interest of the plant.

Landscape Attributes

Carpet Sedum is a dense herbaceous evergreen perennial with a ground-hugging habit of growth. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Carpet Sedum is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover

Planting & Growing

Carpet Sedum will grow to be only 4 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 18 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 15 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an evegreen perennial, this plant will typically keep its form and foliage year-round.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in poor soils, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This species is not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division.