What image springs to mind when the plant Sedum is mentioned well probably for most of us it would a mental picture of Sedum Autumn joy and that’s hardly  surprising as it is one of the most  popular plants used for fall color, in parks , municipal green spaces and many home gardens. But would it surprise you to learn that there are over 400 plus varieties of Sedum in all colors of the rainbow, with possibly the exception the color blue or perhaps there is a true blue Sedum and I have never seen it if so I apologize for passing on incorrect Sedum info.
There is a  Sedum for every season of the year, Sedums grow in a variety of shapes and sizes fulfilling various garden roles as ground covers,, rock plants, container plants, and of course  a Sedum for mass growth in flower beds or borders , not just for fall appeal, but as plants that create interest in shape and form through out the growing season from early spring to late fall.

Name: Autumn Joy Sedum
Plant Type: Succulent Perennial
Size: 12-24″ high, 18″ wide
Leaf Color: Pale Green
Flower Color: Pink to Copper
USDA Zone: 3-11
Light Needs: Partial to Full Sun

Autumn Joy Sedum is a reliable,
easy grow  low maintenance perennial.
pink blossoms cover this succulent
perennial from August until frost.   
Attractive to  butterflies.

Because Sedums are succulents they can survive low water and dry condition and usually require very little attention and maintenance . Sedum blossoms in all colors even black and purple though white and yellow are the most common bloom colors of the sedum plant They all produce flat topped umbrella shaped flowers that are especially attractive to butterflies and bees.

A terrific low  growing evergreen sedum with golden-yellow leaves great for ground cover for sunny areas  This sedum is mat forming makes a great plant for the tops of stone walls or use in hanging baskets as it has a beautiful cascading habit so it trails and hangs really well  Umbrels of yellow star shaped flowers appear during the summer months .The  leaves of this sedum variety  sometimes develops distinctive  amber hues in the fall and winter months.
This is one of my favorite sedum plants a low growing form that has interest in every season
Sedum  rupestre ‘Angelina’
Type     Perennial
Hardy to zone 6
Common name :  Angelina Stonecrop/Stone orpine
Height       Less than 6 in.
Spread     1 ft. to 3 ft.
Growth Habit     Spreading
Growth Pace     Fast Grower
Light     Full Sun to Part Shade
Moisture     Dry to Medium
Characteristics     Showy Flowers; Showy Foliage
Bloom Time     Early Summer; Summer
Foliage Color     Colorful/Burgundy Foliage
Flower Color     Yellow Flower
Uses     Beds and Borders, Container, Ground Covers, Naturalizing, Suitable as Annual
Style     Cottage Garden, Rock Garden
Seasonal Interest     Spring Interest, Summer Interest, Fall Interest

There are dozens of species  of sedum that range from large garden flower hybrids  like Autumn joy sedum or another of my favorites frosty morn sedum  to tiny creeping species that meander along the ground and interweave with their neighbors like some crazy patchwork of sedum  plants . Each sedum variety  has some distinctive variation of leaf shape and flower color that sets it apart from other sedums.

A few  species of sedum are tender and do best as potted plants or if planted in the garden in the summer  need to be  brought indoors in winter but there are that many varieties of hardy sedum that you are bound to find many hardy varieties to your liking that make the babying of less hardy varieties a waste of time and space but that is just my opinion.

In most circumstances sedums although many are mat forming  they do not make good lawn substitutes as they are not tough enough to with stand foot traffic, nor do they form mats  dense enough  to prevent all weed growth . But for border edging , filling in dry bare spots  or planting in garden rockeries  sedums are a  hard plant to beat.

Of all the perennials  in my garden so far, the one that seems to attract the most attention particularly in the fall months is Sedum “Frosty Morn’. This tall sedum is an unusual plant because its foliage is very attractive most other tall sedums have solid green leaves  The center of each leaf of the frosty morn sedum is shaded in hues of silver-blue-green with wide margins of creamy white at the leaf edges. The combination of these colors creates a shimmer that that can’t fail to draw the eye.   Unlike most other Sedum plants , this variety is grown solely for its foliage as the flowers are a bit on  the non-descript side but what it laks in blossom this little show stopper certainly makes up for in other ways.
Not that this perennial sedum would not make a huge fall focal point for any garden when planted in large groups I deliberately choose not use this sedum as a specimen plant . I prefer to insert it into foliage groupings or vignettes as it lends its beauty to plainer leaved sedums and adds texture with its  plump succulent leaves My favorite combination is Frosty morn sedum SEDUM SPECTABILE Stardust,   Artemisia silver mound or pink sweet william and purple emperor Sedum. Somehow frosty morn  seems to me to enhance all of the other plants simply by growing among them.

The genus Sedum is composed of around 400 plus varieties all natives to rocky, mountain terains of the Northern Hemisphere (which is why they are  commonly reffered to as “stonecrops”).The Sedum belongs to the plant family Crassulaceae, which includes such other succulents  as Sempervivum and  Kalanchoe  Most of the garden sedums are easy going, and adaptable perennial plants   hardyin zones  Zones 4 through  9,  Generally sedums  prefer full sun or light shade and moderately fertile, well-drained soil.

Perennial gardeners are perpetually seeking new front of the border plants sedum  Vera Jameson fits this bill to a tee.   This vividly colored sedum grows to be about 10 inches tall, sports a  semi-upright, but creeping habit. sedum  Vera Jameson ‘s thick succulent leaves are pale green run through  with patches   of burgundy and deep  purple.   Rose-pink flower umbrels begin to open  in the mid-summer months and continue to display profusely until  first frost.  Sedum Vera Jameson was supposedly discovered by chance by an English  gardener it has become a firm favorite with many perennial gardeners. As all sedums Vera J’ are as tough as nails and almost care-free.
Sedum ‘Vera Jameson’.

Will the real Vera Jameson please raise your hand. Both of the above images are in online garden catalogs under the name Sedum Vera Jameson the image on the left is how Vera really looks I have no idea what the other plant is or even if it exists at all but this is a first rate example as I have stated in a couple of earlier posts of do not when choosing new plants for your garden go solely from images found in paper catalogs or online gardening catalogs or plant labels, none intentionally intend to mislead I am sure ,but all do tend to show the best possible examples of the plant that they are hoping you will buy. Where as a gardener you want and need to see how a particular plant looks in the average home garden ,receiving average care ,from an average gardener, as that is more than likely what it will receive and how it will appear in yours. A good way of viewing these more “average” images is to search out images of the plant on  home gardeners blogs and websites depicting their own plants in their own backyards  through Google image search or through some other image browser. However the best way is visit public gardens , horticultural schools that are open to the public go on garden tours around your city most cities have them, view what plants are being grown and how they look in real life.