GARDEN CAPSULE
The challenge: Your Autumn Joy sedum is blooming, but the plants are unattractive because they have flopped open in the centers.
The solution: To prevent this problem in the future, cut back your tall varieties of sedums by half in late spring. Also in the spring, divide any plants that are crowded and replant in full sun.
Avoid excessive fertilizer.
If you’re buying new sedum plants, choose varieties that are less likely to flop. Look for plant descriptions that include strong or stiff, upright stems. Autumn Fire, for example, is similar to Autumn Joy but has a stronger upright habit.
Touchdown Teak has strong red stems, dark foliage and rose-red flowers. Thunderhead has gray-green leaves and rose flowers. Neon has magenta blossoms and light-green foliage. T Rex has green leaves and rose-pink flowers.
Pluses: Sedums are easy to grow, drought-tolerant and resistant to deer browsing. Their blossoms attract butterflies, birds and other pollinators and often remain attractive well into the winter.
Minuses: Once the plants flop, there’s nothing you can do to improve this year’s show.
Sources: Upright sedum varieties are available at many retail garden centers. Some mail-order sources: Autumn Fire, Thunderhead and T Rex from Bluestone Perennials (800/852-5243, bluestoneperennials.com). J.W. Jung Seed Co. (800/247-5864, jungseed.com) offers an upright sedum collection that includes Touchdown Teak, Thunderhead and Neon.