Border stonecrop
Ice plantHylotelephium, Sedum
Ice plant
Resist the urge to feed or improve the soil too much at planting — this genus performs best on lean ground.
Care
Full sun.
Very drought-tolerant; dislikes rich, wet soil, which causes floppy growth.
Free-draining, even poor soil; avoid over-feeding, which causes weak, floppy stems.
Cut back to ground level in late winter/early spring, leaving old flowerheads standing over winter for structure and to feed birds and insects. An optional Chelsea-chop-style cutback in mid-spring keeps plants more compact and less floppy.
Don't feed. These are plants of thin, dry, stony ground and a fertile soil makes them soft and shapeless; in a container, ordinary gritty compost holds enough for years.
Almost anything roots: a detached stem pushed into gritty compost, or even a single leaf laid on the surface, will take without a propagator. Spring and early summer are the reliable window, and an established mat can simply be pulled apart.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- MarchCut back last year's dead flowerheads to make way for new growth. how ›
- MayOptional cutback for a more compact, less floppy plant. how ›
- SeptemberMain flowering season — a valuable late nectar source for pollinators.
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchCut back last year's dead flowerheads to make way for new growth. how ›
- MayOptional cutback for a more compact, less floppy plant. how ›
- SeptemberMain flowering season — a valuable late nectar source for pollinators.
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- FebruaryCut back last year's dead flowerheads to make way for new growth. how ›
- AprilOptional cutback for a more compact, less floppy plant. how ›
- SeptemberMain flowering season — a valuable late nectar source for pollinators.
Months based on climate: Central Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- FebruaryCut back last year's dead flowerheads to make way for new growth. how ›
- AprilOptional cutback for a more compact, less floppy plant. how ›
- SeptemberMain flowering season — a valuable late nectar source for pollinators.
Months based on climate: Southern Italy and islands. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. From rich soil or too much shade.
What to do. Move to a sunnier, leaner spot, or cut back in spring.
How to spot it. On young shoots.
What to do. Protect emerging growth.
Creeping sedumStonecrop, Biting stonecrop
Creeping sedum
Plant in spring, firm it down and water once; after that, leave it entirely alone. It establishes faster on poor ground than on good.
Care
Full sun. The gold and red-tinted forms go plain green in shade and lose the colour they were bought for.
None once established, and better dry than watered. It grows on roofs and walls for a reason.
Thin, poor, sharply drained — gravel, a wall top, a green roof, the cracks in paving. Rich moist soil gives lush growth that rots in winter and gets swamped by weeds.
Pull or shear off the flowered stems after flowering to keep the mat tight, and tidy any patch that has gone bare or woody. Pieces that come away in your hand are cuttings, not waste.
None, ever. This is a plant of poor ground, and the most reliable way to spoil it is to feed it.
Break off a rooted piece of the mat at any point in the growing season and press it onto gritty soil; it knits in within weeks. Even a detached stem laid on the surface will root where it touches.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- AprilReplant rooted pieces to fill gaps or start a new patch — it takes at once. how ›
- JuneStarry flowers open, in yellow, white or pink depending on the form; bees work them hard.
- AugustShear off the spent flower stems to keep the mat flat and dense. how ›
- SeptemberMany forms colour up red or bronze now as nights cool — the effect is best on lean soil.
- NovemberKeep fallen leaves off it; smothering under wet leaf litter kills more than frost ever does. how ›
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- AprilReplant rooted pieces to fill gaps or start a new patch — it takes at once. how ›
- JuneStarry flowers open, in yellow, white or pink depending on the form; bees work them hard.
- AugustShear off the spent flower stems to keep the mat flat and dense. how ›
- SeptemberMany forms colour up red or bronze now as nights cool — the effect is best on lean soil.
- NovemberKeep fallen leaves off it; smothering under wet leaf litter kills more than frost ever does. how ›
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchReplant rooted pieces to fill gaps or start a new patch — it takes at once. how ›
- MayStarry flowers open, in yellow, white or pink depending on the form; bees work them hard.
- AugustShear off the spent flower stems to keep the mat flat and dense. how ›
- SeptemberMany forms colour up red or bronze now as nights cool — the effect is best on lean soil.
- NovemberKeep fallen leaves off it; smothering under wet leaf litter kills more than frost ever does. how ›
Months based on climate: Central Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchReplant rooted pieces to fill gaps or start a new patch — it takes at once. how ›
- MayStarry flowers open, in yellow, white or pink depending on the form; bees work them hard.
- AugustShear off the spent flower stems to keep the mat flat and dense. how ›
- OctoberMany forms colour up red or bronze now as nights cool — the effect is best on lean soil.
- DecemberKeep fallen leaves off it; smothering under wet leaf litter kills more than frost ever does. how ›
Months based on climate: Southern Italy and islands. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. Dead patches under where leaves have collected.
What to do. Sweep or blow leaves off through autumn; it cannot push through a wet mat.
How to spot it. Gold or red forms turning plain green.
What to do. Too much shade or too much feeding — move to full sun on poorer ground.
How to spot it. The mat lifts away with no roots.
What to do. Nematodes in late summer on container-grown plants.
HylotelephiumIce plant, Border sedum
Hylotelephium Hylotelephium
Plant in full sun on poor, well-drained ground and resist the urge to improve the soil — this is one of the few border plants that is actively ruined by generosity.
Care
Full sun — essential; in shade the stems stretch and fall open from the centre.
Low — the fleshy leaves store water and the plant is thoroughly drought-tolerant once established.
Free-draining, unimproved soil. Rich, moist ground is the main cause of the floppy, split-open clump this plant is notorious for.
Leave the dried flower heads standing all winter for structure and frost effect, then cut the whole plant to the ground in early spring. The 'Chelsea chop' — cutting the stems back by a third in late spring — is the reliable fix for flopping.
Don't feed. This is the clearest case in the border where fertiliser does harm: fed plants grow tall and sappy and collapse outwards just as the flower heads gain weight.
Divide the clump in spring — it pulls apart easily and every piece roots. Individual stems and even single leaves root in gritty compost too, which is a quick way to bulk up a favourite cultivar.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- MarchCut last year's dried stems to the ground before new growth starts. how ›
- MayCut the stems back by a third to keep the plant compact and stop it flopping. how ›
- SeptemberLeave the seed heads standing — they are the winter structure and feed birds. how ›
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchCut last year's dried stems to the ground before new growth starts. how ›
- MayCut the stems back by a third to keep the plant compact and stop it flopping. how ›
- SeptemberLeave the seed heads standing — they are the winter structure and feed birds. how ›
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- FebruaryCut last year's dried stems to the ground before new growth starts. how ›
- AprilCut the stems back by a third to keep the plant compact and stop it flopping. how ›
- SeptemberLeave the seed heads standing — they are the winter structure and feed birds. how ›
Months based on climate: Central Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- FebruaryCut last year's dried stems to the ground before new growth starts. how ›
- AprilCut the stems back by a third to keep the plant compact and stop it flopping. how ›
- OctoberLeave the seed heads standing — they are the winter structure and feed birds. how ›
Months based on climate: Southern Italy and islands. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. Stems falling outward from an open centre as the flowers develop.
What to do. Move to leaner, sunnier ground, stop feeding, and cut back by a third in late spring.
How to spot it. Grubs in the fleshy roots, especially in containers.
What to do. Check the rootball and repot into fresh compost.
How to spot it. Blackened, soft crown after a wet winter on heavy soil.
What to do. Improve drainage; this plant tolerates drought far better than winter wet.
Popular varieties
Questions
Border stonecrop: is it hardy?
Ice plant: H7: Fully hardy anywhere in the UK. It survives below −20 °C. Creeping sedum: H7: Fully hardy anywhere in the UK. It survives below −20 °C. Hylotelephium: H6–H7: Hardy in the vast majority of UK gardens. It survives down to −20 °C.
Can it grow in a pot?
Ice plant: Standard container culture. Creeping sedum: Excellent in a trough, a gritty pan or spilling from a wall pot, and one of the few plants happy in a shallow container that dries out. Hylotelephium: Yes — a good container plant, as the sharp drainage of a pot suits it and keeps it compact.
Border stonecrop: when do you prune it?
Ice plant: Cut back to ground level in late winter/early spring, leaving old flowerheads standing over winter for structure and to feed birds and insects. In the calendar for UK, pruning falls in March, May. Creeping sedum: Pull or shear off the flowered stems after flowering to keep the mat tight, and tidy any patch that has gone bare or woody. In the calendar for UK, pruning falls in August. Hylotelephium: Leave the dried flower heads standing all winter for structure and frost effect, then cut the whole plant to the ground in early spring. In the calendar for UK, pruning falls in March, May.
Border stonecrop: when does it flower?
Ice plant: In the climate of UK it flowers in August–October. Creeping sedum: In the climate of UK it flowers in June–July. Hylotelephium: In the climate of UK it flowers in August–October.
When do you feed it?
Ice plant: Don't feed. These are plants of thin, dry, stony ground and a fertile soil makes them soft and shapeless; in a container, ordinary gritty compost holds enough for years. Creeping sedum: None, ever. This is a plant of poor ground, and the most reliable way to spoil it is to feed it. Hylotelephium: Don't feed. This is the clearest case in the border where fertiliser does harm: fed plants grow tall and sappy and collapse outwards just as the flower heads gain weight.