• Home
  • Meet Mary Schier
  • Speaking
  • Writing
  • Contact
  • Northern Gardener Book

My Northern Garden

September 20, 2010 · 4 Comments

Sedum is an Autumn Joy

Plants

‘Matrona’ in front garden

Sedum ‘Hot Stuff’

‘Autumn Joy’

The longer I garden in the North, the more I love sedum. It starts out as a dainty little cabbage head each spring, grows into  a perfect green (or purple) background to summer flowers, and then it flowers up in early to mid fall, going from greenish to pink to russet to brown, depending on the variety.

Sedum come in dozens of varieties — tall, short, light green, dark green or purple foliage — and most of them seem to be just as hardy as the rest. The best known sedum is probably ‘Autumn Joy’, a rock-solid plant that I have grown for almost a decade. I divided mine a couple of years ago and now have several nice clumps, which look like they may need dividing again. The popularity of ‘Autumn Joy has led to the marketing of several of its sports, including ‘Autumn Fire’, which is more compact that ‘Autumn Joy’ and has a deeper red bloom, and ‘Autumn Charm’ and ‘Autumn Delight’, two variegated sedum.

Among the more popular sedum now are the purple-leaved ones, such as ‘Black Jack’ and ‘Purple Emperor’. When I created a new front-yard garden a couple of years ago, I debated whether to plant a purple sedum and ended up choosing ‘Matrona’, which has deep purple stems but green leaves. What I really like about this plant is its habit: not too tall, upright, with lots of smallish bloom. Like Autumn Joy, it attracts butterflies and bees galore.  More recently, I planted a small sedum (‘Hot Stuff’ — don’t you love plant names) which has almost lime-green foliage and very dainty blooms.

While sedum look good in spring, summer, and fall, what I love most about them is what they add to the winter garden. Leave them standing and soon you will have snow-capped blooms that add an element of shape, texture, and fun to the garden.

What are your favorite sedums?

Related posts:

  1. Hooray for Autumn Joy As I’ve been thinking about the new flower bed I’ll...
  2. Installing a Front Yard Garden: The Finished Product Here’s what my new front-yard garden looks like. Kind of...
  3. A Tree Peony in Bloom Yesterday I noticed my tree peony has started to bloom...
« A Hoya Blooms
How to Cure Squash »

Comments

  1. Auntie K says

    September 20, 2010 at 8:05 pm

    Hi Mary; I *think* I have a Matrona. I inherited it from a friend, who didn’t know the name of it. Mine sounds like the one you describe, but in addition to the purple stems, it has purple/wine colored veining in the leaves. I LOVE it (and so do the bees)! I like the creeping sedums almost as much as the upright ones. And, the one I use as a companion in the bed with the possible Matrona is Dragon’s Blood. It gets cute pink flowers on the wine colored leaves.

  2. Lisa Ueda says

    September 22, 2010 at 6:22 am

    Purple Emperor is my most recent favorite. I absolutely adore sedums, they’re such a great option for poor soils, and when they’re blooming, I get more bees covering them than the rest of my garden, they really go for them.

  3. Jodi says

    September 23, 2010 at 3:21 pm

    I love all the sedums, upright and creeping. Way to hard to pick a favorite. My newest sedum this year is called October Daphne. It looks great next to my grasses. Right now the Autum Joy and Autum Fire (? to wet to go look) are blooming now. I have had blooms on all my sedums all season long. The bees love them!

Trackbacks

  1. So Many Sedum Varieties - Minnesota State Horticultural Society says:
    February 24, 2023 at 1:50 pm

    […] northern gardeners have grown Autumn Joy, an upright sedum that is extremely hardy, though a bit prone to flopping. In addition to upright […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Connect

  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed for Posts

Grow it, Minnesota Podcast

Now Available!

My Northern Garden book

Follow on Instagram

mynortherngarden_mary

A break from the usual garden content: Lola has NE A break from the usual garden content: Lola has NEVER been allowed on our bed and we were sure she could not get up on it, since she is short and the bed is not. A recent increase in her arthritis meds seems to have created an athlete. Never underestimate a 15 year old dog in pursuit of sun.
.
.
.
#olddognewtricks #sundog #hernameislola #mndogs #dachshundmix
It is definitely spring at the Galleria where the It is definitely spring at the Galleria where the annual Floral Experience by Bachman’s is underway. The scent of the hyacinth is intoxicating and the plants and whimsical art pieces make for a sweet stroll indoors during our relentless March. 

It is so much more than bulbs, too—ots of trees, topiary, shrubs and two knockout weeping larches, annuals, perennials and just tons of color and fun. Highly recommended, and it runs through April 9 (Easter Sunday).

Enjoy! 
.
.
.
#floralexperience #bachmansflowershow #galleriaedina #springflowers #twincitiesevents #minnesotaspring
Glass and gardens, you bet! We’re heading home Glass and gardens, you bet! We’re heading  home after spending a few weeks in Sarasota, Florida. A highlight of our time there was seeing the Tiffany exhibit at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. It was creative and fun and the plant-themed art glass really did shine a light on this tropical garden. So worth a visit if you’re ever in the area!
.
.
.
#sarasota #tropicalgardens #gardensofinstagram #artingardens #mngardenwriter #gardentravel #snowbird
Has your garden been transformed in the last year Has your garden been transformed in the last year or two? I'd love to see it! I'm back to editing Northern Gardener for a bit and one of the new features in the magazine highlights garden or yard transformations. We need help finding some great ones!

The spring issue "Before and After" features a vegetable garden created out of a blank backyard in Bloomington, MN. The homeowner worked with Rustic Hills Garden Co. to add raised beds, fencing, paths and trellises. It's incredibly productive and really nice looking, too! 

I'm looking for more transformations to feature in upcoming issues. They can be DIY or something you worked on with a garden pro. The goal is to give our readers ideas and inspiration. 

Send me a DM with details. Don't worry about writing the piece yourself. We've got a bunch of great writers available to help with that. But you need to have photos of both before and after. I can't wait to see your gardens! 

PC: @rustichillsgardenco 

#coldclimategardens #gardendiy #gardentransformation #beforeandafter #showmeyourgarden
Are you trying winter sowing this year? Now is a g Are you trying winter sowing this year? Now is a good time to sow perennials. Winter sowing is a way to get more plants at less cost by sowing seeds outdoors in mini-greenhouses in winter. The best greenhouse is a one-gallon milk jug. (Edit: leave the caps off! This was my first attempt at winter sowing and I did it wrong. The podcast episode explains why.) 

For advice on how to do it from an expert, check out a podcast episode from 2021 where Michelle Mero Riedel explains her process. Great info! Link in bio and in stories. #wintersowing #mnpodcast #mngardening
#gardenpodcast
#growyourownflowers
What’s new in 2023? My winter break in Florida c What’s new in 2023? My winter break in Florida coincided with the Tropical Plant International Expo so I had to attend. Research! So many cool houseplants. And pots! And roses with scent. And new ideas about everything from pest control to house plants as decor and gifts. Enjoy! 
.
.
.
#tpie #tpie2023 #houseplants #gardentrends
When you’re up to your knees in new snow, it’s When you’re up to your knees in new snow, it’s time to dig out your lists of favorite plants and start planning ✍️ this year’s garden.

My January newsletter includes lists of best annuals for pollinators (of course zinnias are on the list), best herbs for beginners and a link to a slightly older blog post about best trees for urban gardens in our current and future climate. Check it out and start making your own list of go-to plants! 

Link to the newsletter is in bio and stories. Please subscribe for occasional tips for Northern gardeners. 
.
.
.
#gardeningtips #annualflowers #pollinatorfriendly #urbantrees
2022 — uff-da — what a year! A few photos al 2022 — uff-da — what a year! 

A few photos all reeled together that mostly weren’t on instagram. Wishing you all a Happy New Year and a bloom-filled, homegrown 2023. 

Highlights include: Garden shots from Florida, England, my home garden, St. Cloud and Washington County, Minnesota, plus the Minnesota State Fair dahlia garden. Steve and I at Hadrian’s wall, then being escorted off the cruise ship after we got Covid (do NOT recommend!), harvest dinner at my brother’s farm in Wisconsin, my friend, Julie’s, indoor ripening set up for the Aleppo peppers she helped me trial, a bit of garden philosophy and @resawithoutherspoon’s amazing Christmas cookies. 
.
.
.
#gardenforlife #gardenyear #mynortherngarden #zone4gardening #happynewyear
Poinsettias are nice but kind of tough to keep goi Poinsettias are nice but kind of tough to keep going with the heat running 24/7. So how about some holiday plants that are not poinsettias. Norfolk Island pine, rosemary, paperwhites, amaryllis or any houseplant with red veining add that holiday cheer and are easier to keep alive or are not meant to last, so no need for guilt when they are gone. 

I have a post over on the @mnhort website with info about great holiday plant gifts that are NOT poinsettias. Link in bio and stories. 
.
.
.
#holidaydecor #holidayhouseplants #amaryllis #norfolkislandpine #paperwhites
My new favorite holiday plant is lemon cypress. Co My new favorite holiday plant is lemon cypress. Cool color. Interesting form. Not too hard to take care of. Put this on your houseplant must-have list! 
.
.
.
#lemoncypress #holidayhouseplants #houseplantslover #coldclimategardening #mngardener
Extra! Extra! My latest newsletter for cold-climat Extra! Extra! My latest newsletter for cold-climate gardeners is out. About every six weeks, I send seasonal info on plants and garden tasks plus lots of links to gardening resources, books to read and more. 

The current issue includes a cute idea for a hostess gift for the holidays (pictured), a free download on recommended tomato varieties for northern gardeners and some musings on talking about gardening with folks suffering from dementia (lots of memories grow in the garden!) It's free, not too long and only comes out once in a while. 

Link to the current issue in bio plus stories. 
Pix: the hostess gift, my mom's amazing blue hydrangeas, one of the recommended tomato varieties (can you guess which one?) 
.
.
.
#holidaydecor #coldclimategardening #mngardening #besttomatoesever #gardeninspo
Happy Birthday to my book! It was five years ago t Happy Birthday to my book! It was five years ago today that the Minnesota Historical Society Press published The Northern Gardener: From Apples to Zinnias. 

The book is about 85 percent how-to for gardeners in USDA Zones 3 and 4 and 15 percent history of organized horticulture in Minnesota. It's still available and selling. It's always a thrill when gardeners tell me that they read the book and it helped them. That's why garden writers write garden books (believe me, it isn't the money!). 

If you are looking for a gift for a northern gardener in your life, this might be an option. It's widely available and because it's been around awhile, it's frequently discounted. 

Photos include two of my favorite sections of the book -- one on martagon lilies (more gardeners should grow them) and one on buckthorn, which gardeners used to love (hence they photographed their families near the shrub) and is now a terror in the woods here. We're always learning.
.
.
.
#mnhspress #mybook #gardenreading #thenortherngardener #mngardening #mnhort
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Top Posts & Pages

  • Growing Lilies in Containers
  • How to Pollinate a Meyer Lemon Tree
  • Quick Tips for Seed Starting Success
  • Mushrooms Growing in Straw Bales
  • Big Changes in Minnesota Hardiness Zone Map
  • Conjoined Daisy
  • How to Build a Vegetable Garden Box for Your Deck
  • 7 Easy Annuals to Grow from Seed
  • Taking the Straw Bales' Temperature
  • Will the Redbuds Bloom?

Post Categories

  • Books/Writing
  • Climate
  • How to
  • Plants
  • Recipes
  • Uncategorized
  • Why We Garden

Copyright © 2023 · captivating theme by Restored 316