Sedum Mr Goodbud - Autumn Stonecrop

Sedum 'Mr Goodbud' is an autumn stonecrop that stands out in flower beds with its exceptional flowering, which is both abundant and rare in colour. The flowers boast a vibrant pink-mauve that overwhelms the stocky vegetation. The plant is beautiful until late autumn. It comes alive during the last beautiful days of the season with a perpetual ballet of butterflies. The solid and fleshy stems are strong enough to withstand the weight of the flowers. They bear succulent tender green foliage, which is sometimes touched with purple. A unique variety, awarded in 2006 in England for its ornamental qualities and its ease of cultivation in very diverse conditions. This perennial is undoubtedly one of the most accommodating plants there is, tolerating dry and poor soils well, and surviving in low-maintenance gardens.

The autumn stonecrop 'Mr Goodbud' belongs to the Crassulaceae family. It is a recent hybrid cultivar obtained in the USA, resulting from cross-breeding between Sedum spectabile 'Brilliant', and S. telephium. It forms a bushy and dense clump, reaching 35 to 40cm (14 to 16in) in height and spreading over 45cm (18in), with a rather slow growth rate. The flowering takes place from September, and ceases at the first frost. The abundant inflorescences in flat and dense terminal cymes reach 20 to 28cm (8 to 11in) in diameter and persist for up to 5 weeks on the plant. The very small flowers are born as white buds, then open in a bright pink-mauve shade before taking on a more purple-violet hue. Intensely nectar-rich and honey-producing, they attract many insects. The thick and fleshy deciduous foliage is ovate, with undulate and crenate margins, gathered at the base of the plant but also present on the stems. The colour of the glossy leaves is intermediate between water-green and grey-green, each one being marked with brown-purple depending on the intensity of the sunlight. The stems can also be coloured purple in sun-exposed areas.

A blessing for gardens with lean soil, Sedum 'Mr Goodbud' is above all a plant for well-drained, even dry, soil. Combine it with rocks in rockeries, or with paving stones on patios and walls, surrounding it with a parade of spurges (Euphorbia myrsinites, E. rigida), grasses like stipa and eragrostis, houseleeks, and plants with grey foliage like wormwoods and cinerarias, which all accept the same difficult living conditions. Its design is pleasant in a pot. It is also an excellent flower for drying, or for fresh floral bouquets.