Sedum spurium Variegatum - Stonecrop

Sedum spurium 'Variegatum', or Spurium Orpine, is a small perennial ground cover that has the advantage of having beautiful variegated foliage. Its multiple small semi-evergreen leaves are green with white and pink margins. The colour is sometimes intense. Its long stems easily root in all crevices and help it to colonise dry areas. Its pink flowering can occur from July to September and is a boon for insects.

Sedums are proof that poor soil can provide a home to beautiful specimens with generous flowering. If your soil is not rich, 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 wither.

'Variegatum' has a spreading habit, reaching 10cm (4in) in height, which can span up to 50cm (20in), thanks to its stoloniferous stems. They bear small oval and spatulate leaves, which are somewhat leathery and sometimes have toothed margins. This semi-evergreen foliage has fresh shades of green, white, and a little pink with a slight touch of red. 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 intensify its colours. It is therefore a permanent spectacle. Its flowering is charming and delicate. Its miniature corymb inflorescences are made up of multiple star-shaped pink flowers, highly prized by insects that constantly visit them.

This variegated sedum brings colour to every corner. Plant it along pathways, at the edge of a patio, in raised beds, in rockeries, at the base of a wall, or in pots that you can move as you please. It combines easily with all rockery plants. The plant requires no monitoring and colonises abandoned spaces. It is suitable for establishing itself on green roofs. In flower beds, it forms a colourful foreground that draws the eye to its neighbours or can be placed under bushes (exposed to the south) to fill poor soils.