Sedum spurium Album Superbum - Autumn Stonecrop

Sedum spurium 'Album Superbum', or stonecrop, is a small perennial ground cover that can colonise the most difficult terrains. Its long stems easily root in crevices and grow in poor and dry soils, preferably in the sun. Its small semi-evergreen green leaves then form a beautiful carpet, topped with a delicate white flowering from July to August. This is a boon for insects.

Stonecrops are proof that poor soil can provide a home to beautiful specimens with generous flowering. If your soil is poor, rather dry, even rocky, or even slightly chalky, you can still benefit from hardy perennials (they withstand temperatures below -15°C (5°F)), which require no maintenance and promise to enliven the garden with visits from butterflies. These succulents are easy to grow and have flowers and foliage in various shades that can create multiple palettes, whether in flower beds or containers. However, you can still grow them in rich, moist, and heavy substrate. They will acclimatise without any problems if you take care to add gravel. They should not be subjected to excess moisture in winter or be covered with dead leaves, as this may cause them to deteriorate.

The variety 'Album Superbum' has a creeping habit, 10cm (4in) tall, which can reach a width of 50cm (20in) with its stoloniferous stems. They bear small, slightly leathery, oval leaves, sometimes with toothed margins. They are arranged in an opposite and decussate manner. This semi-evergreen foliage has a beautiful bright green colour, which can turn red depending on the season. These nuances vary, like most of its cousins in the same genus, depending on climatic conditions: the amount of light and water will either lighten or accentuate its colours. From this carpet of leaves emerges a fresh and delicate flowering. Its miniature corymb inflorescences consist of multiple star-shaped white flowers, highly prized by insects that constantly gather nectar from them.

This white sedum is an asset for greening every corner of the garden. Plant it along pathways, at the edge of a patio, on a wall, in a rockery, or in pots that you can move according to your desires. It easily combines with all rock plants, requires no maintenance, and colonises abandoned spaces. It is suitable for green roofs. In flower beds, it forms a bright foreground that attracts the eye towards its neighbours or can be placed under bushes (exposed to the south) to fill poor terrains. For a long-lasting flowering, accompany it with Iberis sempervirens (spring flowering) and Aster rugulosus 'Asrugo' (autumn flowering).