18 Sedum (Stonecrop) Varieties: Drought-Tolerant Succulents for Every Garden

Sedums (stonecrops) are a vast genus of leaf succulents in the Crassulaceae family, native to the Northern Hemisphere. Their fleshy foliage stores water, making them exceptionally drought-tolerant, low-maintenance, and salt-tolerant. Foliage colors span green, yellow, red, burgundy, blue; flowers are white, yellow, pink, or red. Forms range from ground-hugging mats to upright clumps. Hardy perennials, they thrive in sunny, well-drained spots, attract butterflies, resist rabbits, and rarely suffer pests (aphids occasionally, controlled by ladybugs).

18 Outstanding Varieties

Fuldaglut – 3″ tall, full sun. Tiny rose-red star flowers on foliage turning red in August.

Graveyard Moss – 5″, partial shade. Bright yellow flowers May–June.

Coral Carpet – 4″, partial shade. Light pink/white flowers early summer on coral fleshy leaves.

Flaming Carpet – 8″, summer bloom. Very hardy, heat/drought tolerant, any soil.

Blue Spruce – 9″, yellow star flowers June. Popular for roofs and containers.

Purple Emperor – 16″, 2002 ISU Perennial Award winner. Dark reddish-purple foliage, dusty rose flower clusters.

Lidakense – Small rosettes in low clumps. Deep pink/magenta flowers late summer–fall.

Lime Zinger – 6″, apple-green leaves with cherry-red edges. Large pink clusters late August–September.

Autumn Fire – 30″, thick red flowers late summer–fall.

Dragon’s Blood – 7″, partial shade. Bronze foliage, red summer blooms.

Pure Joy – 13″, serrated blue-green leaves form rounded mound. Bubblegum pink flowers August–September.

Chocolate Drop – 8″, dark chocolate brown crenate leaves, soft rose flowers.

Autumn Joy / Herbstfreude – 25″, light green leaves, deep rose flowers. One of the most popular perennials.

Sea Urchin – 7″, partial shade. Silver-green leaves edged white, bright yellow blooms.

Cape Blanco – Tight tiny rosettes spreading low. Silvery-blue foliage turning crimson.

Rosetta – 16″, leaves clustered like roses on arching stems. White flowers late summer.

Red Wiggle – 6″, needle-like leaves green turning red. Yellow blooms.

Weihenstephaner Gold – 6″, partial shade. Low-growing, yellow flowers early summer.

Uses

• Ornamental: Borders, containers, rock gardens, green roofs. Cultivars ‘Herbstfreude’, ‘Bertram Anderson’, ‘Matrona’, ‘Ruby Glow’ hold RHS Award of Garden Merit.
• Edible: Sedum reflexum leaves used in European salads (sour, astringent). Sedum divergens eaten by First Nations and Haida/Nisga’a peoples.
• Medicinal: Sedum acre used historically for epilepsy, skin ailments, and as abortifacient (ancient Greece).
• Green Roofs: Preferred over grasses for low-maintenance living roofs.

With a sedum for every niche, these resilient succulents bring texture, color, and life to the toughest garden spots.