PlantFiles: Showy Stonecrop
Sedum 'Matrona'

For the year 2000, Sedum ‘Matrona’ has been selected as the ‘Perennial of the Millennium' in Europe. ..wow wow that is a great honour that this herbaceous perennial, in my opinion, really deserves. I cannot help it..I just love this sedum. In The Netherlands its common name is 'hemelsleutels', translated 'keys to heaven'..
In my perennial borders they are so valuable. In late summer many of my plants 'go crazy' and this sedum says 'order order'.. it brings order by its habit and just in the way how it is ..sooo reliable...a little stiff but peaceful in those 'dogdays' ..it provides butterflies and bees its last suppers..and many many people grow them because they are so easy to propagate... are these keys to heaven?

Selected and propagated by Ewald Hügin who has in Freiburg 'eine schöne Gärtnerei' ... ( translated 'a beautiful nursery')

These plants have dropped a bunch of leaves, some stems have none. Other stems have big leaves. Odd - I'd expect one or the other, not both! From other comments, I imagine they are getting too much water in my main bed. I guess I'll transplant to a drier area and give them another chance. Did like the purple stems when first bought - looked nice next to burgundy leaved plants. Autumn Joy in same bed looks great - don't you love the soft green color of its buds?

Also known as Sedum telephium.

I found a small broken branch of this variety on the floor of a local garden store ...... I picked it up and asked a clerk if I cold keep it. She said yes. It thrives in our garden's poorest soil with next to no water or care. Sedum Matrona is pretty ...... maybe not quite as pretty as other sedum varieties but each variety has its own difference worth noting. I happened to obtain 3 other varieties for free as well. They're all quite nice and I share them with anyone who expresses an interest in them. They are the lowest of maintenance plants in our gardens. I especially love the fact that bees find them so attractive. Bees love their flowers in the fall as much or maybe even more than Asters.

I have one part of my original plant in the full sun in dryer conditions, and took a small piece and put it into a partly shady area. Both are doing great, the one in the shadier area has developed almost cabbage sized leaves, where the other is a large plant but not that large. I have also taken some pieces for rooting to share with folks next year.
May 2005

My neighbor and I both have grown this plant, and others of the stonecrops for about three years now. The plant has done very well and has gotten huge. I planted one plant and it has filled in an area by our fountain. It has gotten about 24" high so far and the blooms are very attractive, crimson and pink and have been trouble free.

Although it is one of the more attractive sedums mine did not respond well to overwatering during dry periods. It is planted with several other sedums but this variety developed brown marks top to bottom. Upon inquiring about this I found others who had the same problem. It was recommended to cut it back to develop new unblemished growth. RD

Very easy to propagate - I stuck a piece (that I accidentally broke off) into a pot in the spring, and forgot it all summer, and it not only rooted, it bloomed on schedule at the end of August.

If your a showy stonecrop fan as I am this is a great addition,it's burgundy rimmed leaves add a nice contrast when mixed in with other sedums,plant them in large clumps for a good show in late summer.Also try drying and adding to arrangements.
Daryl

Of all the upright sedums, this one performs the best and has the most striking appearance

Planted three seedlings in early spring, 2003, and the plants all blooms the first year, in late August. Excellent plant, maintenance free, drought tolerant and the bees and butterflies love it.

Very easy un-demanding plant to grow. Tolerates droughts well! I think the burgundy colored stems are an added bonus with this Sedum.

This Sedum is a cross between Sedum 'Atropurpureum' x Sedum 'Autumn Joy'. Butterflies like this sedum too which is an added bonus besides the wonderful fall color to the garden.

Received the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), 2006 Award of Garden Merit.

A nice sedum - medium pink flowers appear early (can cut back plants to delay blooming until later - pinch off the bloom tips and plant the cuttings for more plants. Foliage is a little darker than the species.