Sedum spectabile Frosted Fire - Autumn Stonecrop

Sedum spectabile 'Frosted Fire' is a descendant of the famous S. 'Autumn Joy', even though it resembles more the cultivar 'Autumn Fire', which is more colourful and from which it directly originates. Its greenish-blue foliage, entirely marginated with cream-white, represents a real novelty among these otherwise easy-to-live-with plants. Its large, round and flattened inflorescences display a beautiful gradient of pink shades, from fresh pink gradually turning into smoky pink, before taking on a brick-red hue that will fade into bronze nuances. This succulent perennial, a boon for poor soils, grows in almost all types of soil and adapts to all climates. A worry-free plant, loved by butterflies, almost indispensable in autumn settings. 

Sedum spectabile 'Frosted Fire' belongs to the Crassulaceae family. It is a recent cultivar derived from S. spectabile, an herbaceous perennial plant native to China and Korea. It forms compact and ramified clumps with a spreading habit, and upright stems reaching 50 to 60cm (20 to 24in) in height and spreading up to 50cm (20in). It has a slow growth rate. Flowering occurs as early as September and ceases with the first frost. The inflorescences, in dense and flat terminal cymes, reach a diameter of 15cm (6in). The very small flowers emerge as green buds, then open in pink, then old pink, and darken into a brick-red shade before fading into bronze. They form intensely nectar-rich and honey-bearing false umbels, surrounded by a constant flurry of butterflies. The herbaceous but sturdy stems emerge from the deciduous, thick, fleshy, bluish-green foliage, which is entirely marginated with cream. The foliage is composed of long, rather narrow leaves that somewhat resemble those of Euphorbia characias. The flat and oblong leaves measure 8cm (3in) in length.

Sedum spectabile is a boon for gardens with lean and thin soil. Drought and poor soils help it to maintain a compact and stiffer habit. However, it also adapts very well to clayey, humiferous, sandy or stony soils. Pair it with grasses, Euphorbia myrsinites, houseleeks, and grey-foliaged plants like common sage, artemisias, or maritime cinerarias, which often tolerate the same difficult living conditions. You can create an unforgettable scene by planting it with asters or fuchsias. Its sculptural form looks magnificent in a container, especially in low-type "bonsai terrines". It is also an excellent flower for drying or for creating fresh floral bouquets.

In the past, Sedum acre was used in folk medicine as a diuretic and purgative, and the juice of S. album against canker sores. The main use of sedum was for the treatment of burns, cuts, bleeding, and corns.