Sedum 'Neon'

Sedum 'Neon': Bright Pink Punch When August Drags

'Neon' flips the switch in late summer and the whole garden turns into a roadside motel sign. Bright magenta-pink heads, VACANCY FLASHING, and every bee and butterfly in the county pulling in. Then it fades to rusty red, the way all good nights end.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Sedum spectabile 'Neon' (also listed as Hylotelephium spectabile)
• Common Name: Showy Stonecrop
• Height: 40–50 cm (16–20 in)
• Spread: 40–50 cm (16–20 in)
• Flowers: Bright magenta-pink, starry flowers packed into large, flat heads. They age to a rusty red in fall.
• Bloom Time: Late summer (August to September)
• Foliage: Fleshy, scalloped, grey-green to blue-green leaves on thick, upright stems

Where to Plant: Use it in the front or middle of a sunny border, in groups along a walkway, or in a gravel or pollinator garden. It handles poor, dry soil and summer heat, the flower heads are good for cutting, and the dried heads stand through winter to catch snow.

Companion Plants: Panicum Prairie Winds® 'Totem Pole' stands tall at 180 cm, with its best show from August to October. Aster 'Mönch' adds lavender daisies at 60 to 75 cm from July to September, a soft partner for the bright pink sedum. In front, Veronica 'Snow Candles' carries white spikes at 20 to 30 cm over the same months. Grow the group in full sun for strong stems and plenty of flowers.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun, in well-drained soil. Average, sandy or even clay soil is fine as long as it doesn't stay wet. Skip the fertilizer: rich soil makes tall sedums floppy. If yours tends to open up in the middle, pinch or cut the stems back by about half in early June for a shorter, sturdier plant. Water through the first season, then only during long droughts. Leave the dried flower heads standing for winter and cut the old stems to the ground in early spring, before the new shoots get tall. Divide every three to four years in spring if the clump starts to split open in the centre.

History: Showy stonecrop is native to China and Korea and has been a garden standard in North America for generations. 'Neon' arose in a nursery block of the older cultivar 'Brilliant' and was chosen for its deeper pink colour and larger, more even flower heads.

Final Thoughts: Drought tolerant, deer resistant and impossible to miss from the street. Plant a few and keep the lights on. OPEN ALL NIGHT.