This month, I couldn't make up my mind what plant I want to feature in my article. As this series of articles is about my garden, a garden in the high desert, I like to write about plants native to the area or at least well adapted. This month I like to write about a plant family that is at home all over the world and can take different soils and weather conditions as long as it doesn't get over- watered. The Sedums are a family of plants I absolutely love. I used to grow them in my home in Germany and in Alaska and I had these plants in my garden in West-Virginia and of course I am growing them now. This climate here is of course by far the better for growing Stonecrops, as long as they have good drainage and a little afternoon shade they are happy. These plants are considered succulents and there is a great variety of them in all sizes, colors. Not all off them are hardy in our zones, but most of them make great container plants. The more tropical ones I take inside in winter but I have many off them growing all over my yard. Several of the Stonecrops are considered autumn flowers just like the Mums. My absolute favorite must be Sedum Autumn Joy or "Herbst Freude" which means the same thing in German. I think it is a German hybrid. I still can remember it growing in my mothers garden in Berlin. I is one of the taller Stonecrops, growing 2 to 3 feet tall and wide and its sick gray green succulent leaves are very showy. In late summer, that is about now it gets these huge flower heads consisting of many small star shaped blossoms that start out pink and as they age turn to copper and than to rust. The plant is hardy all the way down to zone 5, but freezes to the ground after the lightest frost. It needs good drainage and not too much water. It makes a good container plant. There also exists a variegated variety but I have not been able to lay hands on it, yet.

Many of the Stonecrops are considered rock garden plants because they are very small and endurend. Many of them make great low water use ground covers. As their leaves are very fragile and usually break or fall off when touched they cannot be walked on. When they get smashed and broken off, like most succulents they quickly make more plants from their leaflets. This family of plants is huge and I will only describe a few. Every year I see more varieties available in the nurseries.

Another very popular little plant is S. angelicum. This one is from Western Europe. The dark green leaves are very tiny. White and sometimes pink flowers cover the plants in spring.

From the Mediterranean comes S. brevifolium, another tiny Sedum for rock gardens or containers. This plant has grayish-white, red-flushed leaves that are very small, pink to white flowers appear in summer. It needs some afternoon shade.

An uncommon variety is S. telephium "Arthur Branch" with its bronzed leaves and burgundy-red stems that makes a nice contrast to gray leaved plants.

S. sieboldi, this Stonecrop is grown for the deep pink flowers in fall and its arching stems of succulent gray green leaves, it is native to Japan. There is also a variegated variety available; the leaves are pinkish and very attractive.

S. confusum, a native to Mexico has a spreading and branching habit. The leaves tend to cluster in rosettes towards branch ends, clusters of yellow flowers in spring.

S. morganianum - Donkey's or Burro's tail is a beautiful plant but not hardy in our winters and best kept as a houseplant or in a very sheltered place, originated in Mexico it forms long trailing stems of light gray green leaves that overlapped each other. Pink to deep red flowers may appear from spring to summer, but are rare. My plant had only flowered when I took it outside after the last frost. This year I was to lazy and left it in my sunroom, it did not flower. The leaves like on most sedums are very fragile and moving it usually takes off a lot of leaves.

S, spurium is another lovely ground cover, native to the Caucasus. The most popular variety is "Dragon Blood", with purple bronze leaves and blood red flowers.

As you might imagine, I keep quite a collection of these lovely drought tolerant plants. They make good potted plants as accents and nice ground covers under taller drought tolerant plants. Keep in mind most of the Stonecrops so very hardy but like a little shade from the hottest sun.