Ornamental · Crassulaceae
Stonecrop
Sedum
Fleshy, water-filled leaves in gold, chartreuse, and bronzy-red crowd low over the ground in a dense stonecrop mat.
Full sun
Every 10–21 days
60–90 days
USDA 3–9
Overview
Up close, stonecrop reads as a low cushion of plump, water-filled leaves pressed close to the ground. Each succulent stem is thick and fleshy, holding its own moisture, and the creeping stems root as they run and knit into a dense living carpet. The overall form stays flat and tight, a mat of small, swollen foliage rather than any upright, airy shape.
The color is where each form declares itself. Some leaves glow gold or chartreuse, others sit in deep bronzy-red, and many pick up a warmer, redder cast as the cold deepens. In summer the mat lifts small star-shaped flowers in yellow, white, pink, or red, held just above the foliage. Once the flowers pass, the fleshy leaves keep their color and texture on show through the year.
Run a hand over the mat and the leaves feel firm and plump, swollen with the water they store, and they snap crisply rather than bend. That same fleshiness works against the plant in soft conditions: rich soil and steady water swell the stems into floppy, leggy growth, and waterlogged roots turn soft and rot. Grown lean and dry, the stems stay short, firm, and tightly packed.
Care
The short version: full sun, lean and gritty fast-draining soil, and water only when the soil under the fleshy mat has dried completely. No feeding is needed.
Light
In full sun the stems stay short and firmly packed and the leaf color runs richest. Partial sun or light shade is tolerated, but in deeper shade the stems draw out long and floppy and the gold and red leaves drain back to plain green.
Water
The thick, water-storing leaves let stonecrop go completely dry between drinks, then take a deep soak. Established mats often live on rainfall, needing water only every 10 to 21 days in a long dry stretch. Too much water bloats and softens the fleshy tissue until it rots, the fastest way to lose the plant.
Soil
The roots want lean, gritty, sharply drained soil, sandy to gravelly under the mat. A pH of 6.0 to 7.5 suits them, and they hold in poor, rocky ground. Heavy, water-holding soil is what the fleshy roots cannot survive.
Temperature
The stored water and tight, low form carry stonecrop through -40°F to 100°F (-40°C to 38°C) in the hardiest types. Sharp drainage counts for more than the cold, since wet winter soil, not frost, softens and rots the crown.
Humidity
The plump leaves make their own water reserve, so dry air leaves no mark and there is no humidity level to meet. Damp, still air is the real risk, softening the tissue toward rot and sheltering slugs against the mat.
Feeding
Little or no feeding keeps the leaves firm and tight. Rich food swells the stems into soft, floppy, leggy growth, so one light dose of balanced fertilizer in spring is the most the plant ever wants.
Pruning
Leggy or flopped stems can be sheared back to firm up the mat and push tighter, denser new growth, and stray runners are pinched off at the edge. The spent flower stems are cut away once the small flowers have dried.
Repotting
In a pot, the mat is renewed every 2 to 3 years, or sooner once the roots crowd the container, the center thins and dies out, or water runs straight through. Fresh gritty, fast-draining mix goes in around the roots each time.
Size & spacing
The fleshy stems stay low, just 2 to 6 inches (5 to 15 cm) tall, while a single plant creeps 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 cm) outward into a wide mat. Set at that spacing, the mats meet and close over the ground.
When to plant
Across zones 3 to 9, stonecrop goes into the ground in spring once frost has passed and on through early fall. Its small star-shaped flowers open over summer, from June into August, sitting just clear of the fleshy foliage below.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: Late winter to early spring (8-10 weeks before last frost); most types are grown from cuttings or division rather than seed
- Plant: Spring after last frost through early fall
- Harvest: Summer (June to August); star-shaped yellow, white, pink, or red flowers attract pollinators
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 3–9
Temperature: down to -40°C
Troubleshooting
Stonecrop shows most of its troubles right on the plant, in the color and firmness of the stems and leaves. Nearly every problem comes back to too much water or too little sun. Match the look of the damage below and act before soft rot works through the fleshy tissue.
Blackened, mushy stems slumping from the center
The stems turn soft, dark, and mushy and slump from the middle out: this is root and stem rot, which kills more sedums than anything else. It is not a disease to spray but water held in heavy or poorly drained soil breaking down the fleshy tissue. Stop watering, cut back to firm tissue, and set the sound cuttings into fresh gritty mix on a raised, sharply drained spot.
Fix:
- Stop watering and let the soil dry out completely
- Cut away all soft, rotted stems and roots and discard them
- Re-root healthy firm cuttings in fresh gritty, fast-draining mix
- Replant in a raised, lean, sharply drained site or amend heavy soil with coarse sand and grit
Stretched, floppy stems bleaching to plain green
The stems stretch long and open, flop apart, and the gold, red, or variegated leaves wash toward plain green: the cause is nearly always too little sun, sometimes with soil too rich or too wet swelling soft growth. Move it into full sun, shear the drawn stems back hard so a tight mat rebuilds, and cut back water and feed. The gold and red color returns only under the strongest light.
Fix:
- Move or transplant to a full-sun location
- Shear back leggy stems to force denser, more compact regrowth
- Stop fertilizing and grow in leaner, grittier soil
- Reduce watering
Ragged holes in the fleshy leaves, with slime trails
Ragged holes and chewed edges in the plump leaves, with shiny slime trails left behind, mark slugs and snails feeding overnight. Small bumps, white cottony masses, or clustered soft insects along the stems instead mark scale, mealybugs, or aphids. Take the slugs off by hand after dark, wash the others off with insecticidal soap or a strong jet of water, and clear the damp, shaded debris packed against the mat.
Fix:
- Hand-pick slugs and snails or use slug bait/traps
- Wipe off or spray scale, mealybugs, and aphids with insecticidal soap or a strong water jet
- Improve airflow and avoid overly damp, shaded conditions that favor slugs
Toxicity
Stonecrop is non-toxic. The ASPCA lists it as safe for cats and dogs, and it is no real danger to other animals or children. The only physical caution is the sap inside a few species, which can leave a mild itch on sensitive skin.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Stonecrop is safe for cats and stays off the ASPCA toxic list. A cat that bites into a fleshy leaf might get a mildly upset stomach, as with any plant outside its normal diet, and nothing worse.
Dogs None
Dogs are unaffected by stonecrop. Chewing a stem brings at most a little drooling or a loose stomach that passes on its own.
Horses Safe
No reports link stonecrop to poisoning in horses, and it is not a pasture hazard. A horse that crops a mouthful of the fleshy foliage is fine.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits can eat the plump leaves without harm. As with any new green, ease it in slowly so a large sudden helping does not loosen the gut.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep are not poisoned by stonecrop, and most stock leave the low, fleshy mats alone in favor of tastier forage.
Birds Safe
Stonecrop is no toxic risk to backyard or pet birds, and chickens may peck at the low mats now and then with no ill effect.
People Safe
Stonecrop is safe to handle around children. The sap inside a few species can leave a mild itch on sensitive skin, so wash your hands after a long spell of trimming or planting.
Generally safe to handle, but the sap of a few sedum species may cause mild skin irritation in sensitive people; wash hands after extensive handling.
Varieties
The forms differ most in the shape and color of their fleshy leaves, from spiky gold needles to flat red mats. These are the ones seen most often.
Sedum rupestre 'Angelina'
Spiky needle-like leaves in gold to chartreuse that flush reddish-orange under fall and winter cold, on a vigorous creeping mat topped with yellow flowers in summer.
Sedum spurium 'Dragon's Blood'
A low, two-row mat of bronzy-red fleshy leaves that carries deep red star-shaped flowers through summer.
Sedum album
A flat evergreen mat of small, plump green leaves with white summer flowers, and the species the ASPCA names as non-toxic Stonecrop.
Sedum acre
Gold moss stonecrop, its tiny green leaves packed tight and lit with bright yellow flowers, self-seeding so freely it can spread fast enough to turn weedy.
Upright border sedums (now Hylotelephium, e.g. 'Autumn Joy')
A separate group of taller, clump-forming border perennials reclassified into Hylotelephium, standing upright rather than creeping in low mats.
Companions
Stonecrop pairs best with other sun-loving, drought-tough plants that want the same lean, dry, gritty soil, and worst with anything that needs rich, wet ground and shade.
Plant near
Sempervivum (hens and chicks): Another sun-loving, drought-tolerant succulent with the same lean, well-drained soil needs for rock gardens and green roofs.
Creeping thyme: Low, sun-loving, drought-tolerant mat former that shares the same gritty, well-drained, dry conditions between pavers and on slopes.
Keep apart
Moisture-loving shade plants: Plants needing rich, consistently moist soil and shade require conditions (wet soil) that rot sedum and shade that makes it leggy.
How to propagate
The plant's fleshy build makes it easy to multiply. A snapped stem or a single plump leaf holds enough stored water to root on its own, so one plant readily becomes many.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Spring to summer · 2 to 4 weeks to root
A cut stem roots readily. Snip it in spring or summer, let the wet cut end dry and callus for a day, then lay it on gritty mix or press it in, where roots break from the nodes in 2 to 4 weeks.
DivisionEasy
Spring or early fall · A few weeks to a season
An established mat can be split. Lift it in spring or early fall, pull or cut the fleshy clump into chunks, and reset the pieces, each rooting down over a few weeks to a full season.
Leaf cuttingsEasy
Spring to summer · 3 to 6 weeks
A single plump leaf, pulled with a short piece of stem, will root when laid on gritty mix during spring or summer growth. New roots push out over 3 to 6 weeks.
SeedModerate
Late winter to spring · Several weeks to germinate
Species sedums grow from seed sown in late winter or spring, sprouting over several weeks to germinate. Named cultivars do not come true from seed, so cuttings or division keep the exact leaf color and form.
Myths
Sedums need rich soil and frequent watering to thrive.
The plant's own build says otherwise. Those fleshy, water-storing leaves are made for hard, dry ground, so stonecrop wants lean, gritty soil, sharp drainage, and very little water. Give it rich earth and a steady drink and the stems swell into floppy, leggy growth and slide into fatal root and stem rot.