Sedum SunSparkler® 'Wildfire'

Sedum SunSparkler® 'Wildfire': Red-Hot Leaves From Spring On

'Wildfire' looks like somebody set the rock garden ablaze, then added pink piping for style. Shiny cherry-red leaves edged in pink, with deep pink flowers on top. SMOKIN' AND IT KNOWS IT.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Sedum hybrid (sometimes listed as Hylotelephium)
• Common Name: Stonecrop
• Series: SunSparkler®
• Height: 10–15 cm (4–6 in)
• Spread: 35–45 cm (14–18 in)
• Flowers: Starry, deep pink flowers in clusters held just above the leaves
• Bloom Time: Late summer to early fall (August to September)
• Foliage: Shiny, thumbnail-sized, cherry-red succulent leaves with pink variegated edges
• Plant Patent: USPP 28,621

Where to Plant: It makes a bright, low mound at the front of a sunny border, along a path, or spilling over the edge of a rock garden or container. Give it sun and lean soil. Its foliage brings colour from spring onward, so it earns its spot long before it blooms.

Companion Plants: Digitalis Arctic Fox™ Lemon Cream adds yellow spires at 60 cm from June to August, a tall accent behind this low stonecrop. Salvia 'Blue Hill' brings true blue spikes at 45 to 60 cm from June to September. In front, Thymus 'Coccineus' makes a 2 to 5 cm magenta carpet in June and July. Give the group a sunny spot with good drainage.

Plant Care: Give it full sun and well-drained soil. It does well in average, sandy or gravelly ground. Avoid spots where water sits, especially heavy clay that stays wet through winter. Water through the first growing season so the roots settle in. Once established, it handles dry spells on its own. Extra fertilizer isn't needed. Leave the flower heads over winter or snip them off once they fade. Clean up old stems in early spring as new growth starts. Divide in spring every few years if the centre opens up.

History: 'Wildfire' was bred by Chris Hansen as part of the SunSparkler® series of low, colourful sedums. It is a sport of SunSparkler® 'Firecracker', meaning it arose as a naturally occurring branch with different colouring that was then propagated on its own.

Final Thoughts: Full sun, dry soil and deer that keep their distance. NO EXTINGUISHER NEEDED. JUST ENJOY THE BURN.