I have written about this Oklahoma garden staple in previous posts, but have never put it out there, front and center on this blog, citing all of its ease, reliability and beauty. It may be (okay, I am going out on a limb here) be my candidate for the easiest to grow perennial in the garden. Any garden. It isn't fussy about:
good soil, though it will appreciate good drainage... full sun, can even tolerate some shade...
how you propagate it, just stick a stem or even a section of the stem into moist soil, and voila!
a new plant...intense heat, may scorch a bit, but generally likes the heat and it's almost impossible to kill...drought, it IS a sedum after all...
and it will reward you with the loveliest of pink flowers in the fall. Sturdy-stemmed blooms that
are long lasting in the vase, and with the added benefit that when you tire of them in the vase...
you can just stick the stems back outside in the dirt and, given time, they will happily produce another little plant for you.
(And, oh my! the little pink tufts did look sweet after the rain.)
They marry well with the pink gaura I just featured in my last post (go here) and work well either in the front
of the border as an edging plant,
or the middle of the border (seen here with verbena bonariensis).
The heft, thickness and weight of the stems contrasts nicely with delicate foliage, so try it with Nandina 'Flirt' (go here) from the SOUTHERN LIVING PLANT COLLECTION, or the purple leaved 'Purple Pixie' Lorapetalum (find it here), also from their collection
a combo of which I am PARTICULARLY fond.
And, as I think EVERYTHING in the garden is enhanced by spheres of boxwood, I would be remiss
if I didn't mention it as a planting companion as well. I have been editing out this season and carefully selecting what plants will and won't remain. I assure you, Sedum 'AUTUM JOY' will remain and prosper.
