If this drought has done anything positive for my garden, it’s given me a newfound appreciation of sedums. These plants are not exactly showstoppers in most gardens. They tend to recede into the background, upstaged by more colorful summer sun lovers like echinacea and phlox.
This year, however, the sedums are about the only plants that have retained their composure in the face of the two-plus months of dry heat we’ve had. Sedums are succulents, plants that store water and food in their roots, stems and leaves. They are able to take moisture from dew and the air, so that even when there’s no rain, they have access to water.
Sedums prefer lean soil, although they enjoy a topping of compost in the spring. They tolerate some shade, too, although the baking sun suits them just fine.
There are two main types of sedum, upright and creeping. The upright varieties grow up to 2 feet tall and make attractive additions to perennial borders. The taller ones tend to get leggy though, and benefit from cutting back in mid-summer to keep their shape without flopping. You can also stake them, of course.
The most common upright sedums include ‘Autumn Joy’ which is coming into its prime right about now. As fall progresses, its pink flower heads turn copper-colored, adding an attractive autumnal note to the border. Others I’ve had good luck with are the purply pink-flowered ‘Mr. Goodbud’ and ‘Frosty Morn,’ with unusual white-variegated, blue-green foliage and pink flowers. Both of these bloom in late summer. Like their autumn cousins, their flower heads give shape and color to the winter garden.
I have a granite outcropping in my yard that’s inhospitable to most plants. Over the years, I’ve stuck a few creeping sedums into the shallow troughs of gritty dirt in the craggy ledge. While other plants I’ve tried there have shriveled up and died, the sedums come back bigger and stronger every year. Despite the drought, they are happy as clams, hanging out with a gang of sempervivums, other succulents who thumb their noses at the dry heat.
The creeping varieties make terrific groundcover in sunny, poor soil. Some popular creepers include sedum seiboldii, with blue-green leaves tinged with purple and clusters of pink flowers in late summer; ‘Vera Jameson,’ with round, purple-red leaves and bright pink flowers in summer; and ‘Tricolor,’ whose pale green leaves are edged with cream and pink.
So, hats off to the lowly sedum. No longer an afterthought to this gardener.
The University of Massachusetts Garden Calendar is an invaluable resource for local gardeners.
Each year, the calendar presents a selection of plants chosen by the UMass Extension Landscape, Nursery & Urban Forestry staff for pest resistance, adaptability to specific growing environments, and seasonal effectiveness.
The 2017 UMass Garden Calendar includes a featured article about successful gardening during a dry season, as well as special tips for container gardening and extensive lists of suggested drought-tolerant annuals and perennials for New England gardens.
Each month of UMass Extension’s 2017 Garden Calendar features:
One large, inspiring garden image plus information about the image
Daily gardening tips for Northeast growing conditions
Daily sunrise and sunset times*
Phases of the moon
Plenty of room for notes
Low gloss paper for easy writing
The UMass Garden Calendar is a wall calendar. The dimensions of the calendar when open are 12.5 inches wide x 19 inches long.
These attractive calendars make terrific holiday gifts. Proceeds from sales benefit UMass Extension’s Landscape, Nursery & Urban Forestry Program.
Autumn is a great time to assess your woody plants for shape and structure. On Saturday, from 9:30 a.m. till 12:30 p.m., Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge is offering a workshop on pruning shrubs and small ornamental trees. This demonstration and workshop, led by Forest Health Program Director for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and arborist Ken Gooch, focuses on pruning, including when, why and how to shape, renovate, train or rejuvenate your woody plants.
Learn about pruning tools, timing and specific techniques suited to the home gardener. Pruning techniques for evergreen and deciduous hedges will also be covered.
Wear waterproof outerwear and boots; bring pruners.
Gooch is a Massachusetts Certified Arborist and teaches arboriculture at the BBG. He lectures widely on a variety of topics including forest health, pruning and arboriculture.
The cost is $25 for members, $30 for nonmembers. Go to Berkshirebotanical.org for more information and to register.
OK, I confess. I had to Google “gesneriad.” It’s a tropical plant of a family that includes African violets, gloxinias, and their relatives. At Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston Saturday, from noon till 5 p.m. and Sunday, from 10 a.m. till 4 p.m., there will be a dazzling collection of rare and unusual begonias and gesneriads on display. The show is presented by the Buxton Branch of the American Begonia Society and the New England Chapter of the Gesneriad Society. It is free with Tower Hill admission.
Mickey Rathbun can be reached at foxglover8@gmail.com.