Sedum 'Voodoo'

Sedum 'Voodoo': Mahogany-Red Mats With a Dark Side

This stonecrop comes dressed in deep red to mahogany, like a leather armchair in a cigar lounge that decided to go for a crawl. Rose-pink flowers on top add a little charm. RICH LOOK. CHEAP TO RUN.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Sedum spurium 'Voodoo' (also listed as Phedimus spurius)
• Common Name: Two-row Stonecrop
• Height: 10–15 cm (4–6 in)
• Spread: 30–60 cm (12–24 in)
• Flowers: Small, star-shaped rose-pink flowers in flat clusters
• Bloom Time: Summer (June to August)
• Foliage: Rounded, succulent leaves in deep red to mahogany on red stems, forming a dense, spreading mat

Where to Plant: Use it where soil is thin, hot and dry: rock gardens, slopes, gravel beds, the front edge of a sunny border, wall tops and containers. It knits into a mat that covers bare ground and keeps weeds from getting comfortable.

Companion Plants: Let dark 'Voodoo' carpet a sunny, dry bed with white candytuft, ruby coneflowers and rose-purple alliums. Iberis 'Snowflake' opens white candytuft at 20 to 25 cm in May and June. Allium 'Millenium' adds rose-purple globes at 30 to 50 cm in July and August. Echinacea SunMagic® Vintage Ruby brings ruby-red coneflowers at 45 to 60 cm from June to September. Schizachyrium 'Standing Ovation' rises at 90 to 120 cm, blue with red tips in summer.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun in well-drained soil. Sandy, gravelly or lean soil is ideal. Heavy, wet clay is the one thing it won't forgive, so add grit or plant on a slope or raised edge if your soil holds water. Water regularly through the first season. After that, it rarely needs help. Skip the fertilizer, which only makes it floppy and less colourful. Trim off spent flower heads after blooming if you like a tidy mat. If it wanders where you don't want it, pull or cut back the edges. Stem pieces root easily, so spring is a good time to divide it or tuck cuttings into bare spots.

History: The species, Sedum spurium, comes from the Caucasus, Armenia and northern Iran, where it grows on rocky ground, roadsides and old walls. 'Voodoo' is a seed-raised selection grown for its unusually deep red colour and is listed as a Fleuroselect award winner.

Final Thoughts: Give it full sun for the darkest colour and the best flowers. Deer walk on by. BRING YOUR OWN BRANDY.