Ornamental · Crassulaceae
Stonecrop
Sedum
Give it full sun and gritty drainage and stonecrop takes off, filling ground fast with almost no effort.
Full sun
Every 10–21 days
60–90 days
USDA 3–9
Overview
Stonecrop turns the toughest bare patch of ground into something worth looking at. These low, fleshy succulents pack water into their leaves and power right through heat, drought, and thin rocky soil that stops other plants cold. Most of them creep outward into mats that lock together into a living carpet, ideal for rock gardens, gravel, green roofs, and the dry cracks between paving stones.
The genus opens up a huge run of choices. Watch some forms light up gold or chartreuse, others deepen to bronzy-red, and plenty crank up their color as the cold moves in. Star-shaped summer flowers in yellow, white, pink, or red pull in bees and butterflies, and once those finish the foliage keeps performing all year. Toughness is off the charts, with the hardiest types powering through winters down to -40°F (-40°C).
One thing trips people up: kindness. Pile on rich soil and steady water and it flops over, leggy and loose, and soggy roots rot it away. Grow it lean and dry, drop it in the brightest spot going, and the biggest job left is standing back while it does the rest.
Care
The short version: full sun, lean gritty fast-draining soil, and a drink only after the soil goes bone dry. Skip the feeding and let it run.
Light
Stonecrop craves full sun, and it just keeps getting better the more it soaks up. It gets by in partial sun or light shade, but push it into real shade and the stems stretch and flop while the gold and red forms drain back to plain green.
Water
It is a succulent, so let the soil dry out flat, then soak it deeply and hold off. Once established it often runs on rainfall alone, wanting a top-up only every 10 to 21 days through a long dry stretch. Overwatering is the fast track to killing stonecrop, so keep it thirsty.
Soil
Set it in lean, gritty, sharply drained soil, and the sandier and rockier the better. A pH of 6.0 to 7.5 works, and it powers through poor ground that flattens other plants. The one thing it cannot beat is heavy soil that traps water at the roots.
Temperature
Stonecrop takes an enormous range, from -40°F to 100°F (-40°C to 38°C), which is exactly how the hardy types blast through brutal winters. Sharp drainage counts for even more than the cold, since soggy winter soil is what actually takes them down.
Humidity
Dry air suits it fine, so there is no humidity number to chase. The real thing to dodge is damp, stagnant air, which invites rot and hands slugs a hideout.
Feeding
Feed it light, or skip it entirely. Stonecrop is built to grow lean, and rich food makes it flop over, leggy and loose, so one light dose of balanced fertilizer in spring is the ceiling.
Pruning
Shear back the leggy or flopped stems to tighten the mat and drive denser regrowth, and pinch in any runner that shoots past its bounds. Snip off the spent flower stems the moment bloom wraps up.
Repotting
In pots, repot every 2 to 3 years, or sooner once the mat jams the container, hollows out in the middle, or drains the instant you water. Load it into fresh gritty, fast-draining mix each round and it takes right off.
Size & spacing
Most creeping stonecrops hug the ground at just 2 to 6 inches (5 to 15 cm) tall, yet each one races 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 cm) across into a wide mat. Space them for that spread and they charge together into solid cover.
When to plant
Stonecrop powers through zones 3 to 9, so most gardens can get in on it. Get plants in the ground in spring once the last frost clears, right on through early fall, and the star-shaped flowers pop across summer, from June into August.
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 throws up few problems, and almost every one traces back to too much water or too little sun. The stems and roots flag trouble early, so a quick check points straight to the fix. Match the symptom below and jump on it before rot spreads.
Blackened, mushy stems caving in from the center
This is root and stem rot, and it takes down more sedums than anything else. It springs from water pooling in heavy or poorly drained soil, not from any disease you can spray off. Cut the water, slice out every soft rotted stem, and re-root the firm cuttings in fresh gritty mix on a raised, sharply drained spot, and it bounces right back.
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
Leggy, flopping stems draining back to green
Nearly every time the answer is too little sun, sometimes with soil that runs too rich or too wet pumping out soft growth. Move it into full sun, shear the leggy stems back hard to force a tighter mat, and pull back on water and feed. Gold and red forms only hold their fire in the strongest light, so give them everything you have got.
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
Chewed, ragged leaves streaked with slime trails
Damage that lands overnight with shiny slime trails means slugs and snails are working the fleshy growth. Spot small bumps, white cottony masses, or clusters of soft insects on the stems instead, and it is scale, mealybugs, or aphids. Grab the slugs by hand after dark, blast the rest off with insecticidal soap or a hard water jet, and clear the damp, shaded debris that shelters them.
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
Great news for pet owners and parents: stonecrop is non-toxic. The ASPCA marks it safe for cats and dogs, and it poses no real danger to other animals or kids. The one small catch is that a few species carry sap that can leave a mild itch on sensitive skin.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Cats are in the clear with stonecrop, which never lands on the ASPCA toxic list. A curious one that chews a leaf might get a mildly upset stomach, the same as with any plant off its usual menu, and nothing worse.
Dogs None
Dogs can romp around it without any worry. A nibble brings a bit of drooling or a loose stomach at most, and that clears up on its own.
Horses Safe
No reports tie stonecrop to poisoning in horses, and it draws no pasture-hazard flag. A horse that crops a little foliage walks away just fine.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits can graze the fleshy leaves without harm. Ramp it up slowly, as with any new green, so one big helping does not loosen their gut.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep shrug off stonecrop unharmed, and most stock skip right past it for tastier forage anyway.
Birds Safe
Stonecrop poses zero toxic risk to backyard or pet birds, and chickens may peck the low mats now and then with no ill effect.
People Safe
Stonecrop is safe to grow and handle with kids around. Sap from a few species can leave a mild itch on sensitive skin, so wash your hands after a long run 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
Stonecrop spans a huge sweep of colors and habits, from gold needles to low red mats. These are the ones that turn up most, and any of them are worth a spot.
Sedum rupestre 'Angelina'
A fast creeping groundcover of spiky gold-to-chartreuse needles that flare reddish-orange in the cold of fall and winter, throwing up yellow flowers in summer.
Sedum spurium 'Dragon's Blood'
A low two-row stonecrop that spreads a mat of bronzy-red foliage and fires off deep red star-shaped flowers in summer.
Sedum album
An evergreen mat former of small green fleshy leaves and white summer flowers, and the very species the ASPCA names as non-toxic Stonecrop.
Sedum acre
Gold moss stonecrop, tiny-leaved and bright yellow in bloom, 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 moved into Hylotelephium, standing upright instead of creeping into 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
Few plants multiply as fast as stonecrop, which makes it a joy to grow more of. A snapped stem or even a dropped leaf will often root on its own, so one plant quickly becomes a whole colony.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Spring to summer · 2 to 4 weeks to root
Stem cuttings are the quickest route and the go-to for most gardeners. Snip a stem in spring or summer, let the cut end dry and callus for a day, then drive it into gritty mix or just lay it on the soil, where it roots at the nodes in 2 to 4 weeks.
DivisionEasy
Spring or early fall · A few weeks to a season
Lift an established mat in spring or early fall, tear or cut it into chunks, and replant the pieces wherever you want more. Each division digs in over a few weeks to a full season.
Leaf cuttingsEasy
Spring to summer · 3 to 6 weeks
Pull a healthy leaf with a short bit of stem attached and drop it onto gritty mix through the spring or summer growth. Fresh roots break out over 3 to 6 weeks.
SeedModerate
Late winter to spring · Several weeks to germinate
Species sedums sprout from seed sown in late winter or spring, taking several weeks to germinate. Named cultivars will not come true from seed, so lean on cuttings or division to lock in their color and form.
Myths
Sedums need rich soil and frequent watering to thrive.
Flip that on its head. Stonecrops are succulents built for hard, dry ground, so they run on lean, gritty soil, sharp drainage, and barely any water. Load them up with rich earth and regular drinks and you get floppy, leggy growth and fatal root and stem rot.