Sedum 'Dragon's Blood'

Sedum 'Dragon's Blood' – Dragon's Blood Stonecrop: A Dramatic and Colorful Groundcover

Sedum 'Dragon's Blood', known for its fiery red foliage and vibrant blooms, is an eye-catching groundcover that adds intense color and texture to any garden design. This hardy sedum variety is particularly valued for its decorative appeal and ease of care, making it a popular choice for rock gardens, borders, and as a drought-tolerant ground cover.

Product Characteristics:

• Height: Typically grows to about 8-15 cm in height, forming a low, dense mat that effectively blankets the ground.
• Spread: Spreads up to 45 cm, providing robust coverage that helps suppress weeds and beautify bare patches.
• Leaf Colour: Features fleshy leaves that emerge green and quickly turn a deep, blood-red as the season progresses, intensifying in color with more sunlight exposure.
• Flowering Period: Produces brilliant clusters of star-shaped, bright pink to red flowers in the summer, adding a stunning contrast to the dark red foliage.
• Foliage: The leaves are semi-evergreen, maintaining their color and texture for much of the year, especially in milder climates.
• Sunlight Requirements: Prefers full sun, where it achieves the best growth, foliage coloration, and flowering, but it can tolerate light shade.
• Soil Requirements: Thrives in well-drained, sandy or gravelly soils; highly tolerant of poor soils and drought once established.

Uses and Benefits: Sedum 'Dragon's Blood' is excellent for areas requiring visual impact with minimal maintenance. Its dramatic coloration and ground-hugging growth make it an ideal choice for rock gardens, slopes, and garden edges where erosion control is needed. The dense mat of foliage prevents weed growth and retains soil moisture. Additionally, the vibrant flowers attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies, enhancing the biodiversity of your garden.

Companion Plants: Pair Sedum 'Dragon's Blood' with other drought-resistant plants for a vibrant, low-maintenance garden:

• Sedum 'Angelina': Offers a striking color contrast with its bright yellow-green foliage.
• Lavender: Provides aromatic foliage and purple flowers that complement the dark red hues of 'Dragon's Blood'.
• Ornamental grasses: Such as blue fescue, which add texture and height to the dense ground cover provided by the sedum.

Care Instructions: Plant in an area with full sun to partial shade to promote the best foliage color and plant health. Ensure the soil is well-draining to prevent waterlogging. Water regularly during the first growing season to establish a deep and extensive root system; afterwards, 'Dragon's Blood' is very drought-tolerant and requires minimal watering. This sedum is generally low-maintenance but can be trimmed back in early spring to shape and encourage denser growth.

History: Sedum 'Dragon's Blood' is a cultivar of Sedum spurium, a species native to the Caucasus and known for its adaptability and ornamental value. The 'Dragon's Blood' variety has been specifically cultivated for its unique deep red foliage and vibrant blooms.

Final Thoughts: Sedum 'Dragon's Blood' offers not just ground cover but a bold statement in the landscape. Its rich red foliage and pink flowers create a dramatic visual display, making it a standout addition to any garden. Whether used to fill spaces in a rock garden, stabilize a slope, or line a garden path, 'Dragon's Blood' provides beauty, function, and ease of care.