English Stonecrop Plants
If you are looking for a plant that you don’t have to baby, spreads over time to form a lovely, low carpet, and produces pink starry flowers, look no further than English stonecrop (Sedum anglicum). These plants are in the Crassulaceae family of succulents. English stone crop establishes easily from bare root and requires little extra care to root and grow. These minimal care plants have even been used in living roofs, composed of hardy, tolerant plants that insulate and provide durable protection. Stonecrop plants come in a variety of sizes and forms. These plants are succulent and have chubby, fleshy characteristic leaves in rosettes and thickened stems. The foliage and stems are bright green when young, deepening to bluish green at maturity. English stonecrop is a ground hugging form that tends to spread out stems and roots at internodes. Over time a small patch of English stonecrop can become a large, dense mat. The flowers are on short stalks, star-shaped, and white or blushed pink. The blooms are very attractive to bees and hoverflies as well as certain species of ants.
How to Grow English Stonecrop Sedum
Growing English stonecrop is as easy as getting your hands on a piece of the plant. The stems and leaves will fall off even with a gentle touch and often root just where they land. English stonecrop produces from seed, too, but it will take quite some time for appreciable plants. Far easier to nudge off a stem or few leaves and transplant the rosettes to acidic, well-drained soil. A little watering is needed at establishment but the plant will root in just a few weeks and become drought tolerant thereafter. These plants are fertilizer sensitive but good organic mulch can help gradually add nutrients to the soil when growing English stonecrop.
English Stonecrop Care
These plants are good choices for the novice gardener. This is because they establish readily, have few pest and disease problems, and are low maintenance. In fact, English stonecrop care is really negligible except for occasional watering in very dry periods. You can choose to divide the clumps and share them with a friend or let the patches gambol playfully across your rockery or other landscape feature. English stonecrop also makes an excellent container plant and will trail lightly in hanging baskets. Pair this sprightly little plant with other moisture smart flowers and succulents for xeriscape appeal.
