Sedum reflexum Blue Spruce - Stonecrop

Sedum reflexum 'Blue Spruce', also known as the Reflexed Stonecrop, is a small perennial groundcover that has foliage with a very pronounced bluish colour. Starting off green, it then turns grey and finally pink with violet shades in autumn. Evergreen, its multiple and tiny leaves quickly form a carpet that colonises the most difficult terrains. Its long stems easily take root in all the crevices and thrive in poor and dry soils, preferably in sunny locations. Its yellow flowers, in a myriad of stars, are a blessing for insects during the months of July and August.

From the family Crassulaceae, Stonecrops are proof that poor soils can also support beautiful plants. If your terrain is not rich, but rather dry, even rocky, or even slightly chalky, you can still benefit from these hardy perennials as they can withstand temperatures below -15°C (5°F), which require no maintenance and promise to animate the garden with visits from butterflies. These succulents are indeed easy to grow and have flowers and foliage with varied shades that should be enjoyed to create multiple colour palettes, whether in flower beds, containers, or rockeries. They should not be exposed to excessive moisture in winter, nor be covered in dead leaves (risking their decay).  They prefer a sunny, even scorching, position and thrive in a few millimetres of substrate.

This Rock Stonecrop has a spreading habit that can reach a width of 40 cm (16in), thanks to its stoloniferous stems. These creeping stems can reach a height of 10 cm (4in). They bear small oblong, tapering, cylindrical, and fleshy leaves measuring barely 3 to 5 mm (1in). Alternate, they are densely arranged. This foliage displays subtle and changing shades in each season: green, grey, blue, violet... These nuances vary, like most of its relatives in the same genus, depending on the climatic conditions: the amount of light and water give it the opportunity to lighten or accentuate its colours. From this carpet, vibrant and delicate flowers stand out. Its miniature corymb inflorescences are made up of multiple yellow star-shaped flowers, highly prized by insects. They can double the height of this little carpet.

This Sedum reflexum 'Blue Spruce' is an asset for greening the corners around the house while offering unique colours. Place it at the edge of the terrace, at the base of a wall, in pots that you can move according to the seasons. It combines easily with all rockery plants, requires no maintenance, and colonises abandoned spaces.  It is also suitable for green roofs. For long-lasting flowers, plant it with Iberis sempervirens (spring flowering) and Erigeron karvinskianus (from May to September). Vary the foliage colours or shapes by planting it with other Sedums: spurium 'Variegatum', 'Album superbum', and reflexum 'Angelina'. Easy and worry-free, these miniature perennials are ones to collect.