Hylotelephium telephium Class Act - Stonecrop

The Sedum or Hylotelephium 'Class Act' is a variety of autumn stonecrop of great class, awarded many times, notably by the R.H.S in England. The plant is characterized by a naturally compact habit, early flowering, and large inflorescences intensely coloured in red-pink. They bloom in great numbers from late August, at the end of multiple sturdy stems adorned with green foliage. The flowering period is long and highly visited by butterflies. It is a carefree perennial, ideal for rock gardens and flowering pots.

The 'Class Act' Autumn Stonecrop belongs to the Crassulaceae family. It is a horticultural hybrid derived from Sedum telephium, now renamed Hylotelephium telephium, originating from the Caucasus and China. This cultivar 'Class Act' forms well-bushy clumps, which hold well, with a rounded habit, reaching approximately 45cm in height and 50cm in width. The flowering begins in August-September, more or less early depending on the climate. The inflorescences, in rounded terminal cymes, are very dense and reach 11cm in diameter. The tiny star-shaped flowers open in dark red, then evolve to bright purplish pink and fade to a lighter pink. They form the false umbels that are intensely nectariferous and melliferous. The stems of this sedum are slightly brownish. The deciduous, thick and fleshy foliage is a fairly vibrant green and harmonizes beautifully with the flowering. The leaves are flat and ovate, with large rounded teeth on the upper half. The vegetation, deciduous, emerges from the ground in spring and dries out in autumn.

A boon for areas in the garden where the soil is thin, the 'Class Act' Sedum is a very good plant for dry soil. It thrives in rock gardens and sunny borders, as well as in large pots. In the garden, combine it with ornamental grasses for dry soil and grey-leaved plants that accept, like it, these difficult living conditions (Stipa tenuifolia, Tanacetum haradjanii...). You will create an original scene by associating it with 'Little Carlow' heart-leaved asters or Nepeta 'Cat's Pyjamas'. Magnificent in its graphic design as a potted plant, it is also an excellent flower for drying or for bouquets.