Blue Feather Stonecrop

Blue Feather Stonecrop (Sedum 'Blue Feather') is a needle leaved succulent groundcover that forms a soft blue grey carpet about 20cm high and 50cm across. The foliage is the reason to plant it: fine upright feathery shoots in a cool blue that holds its colour all year. Yellow star flowers follow in summer, and once established it lives on rainfall across most of the country.

Why you'll love it

• Blue foliage that lasts. The colour comes from a waxy bloom on the leaves rather than from flowers, so the effect runs all year.
• It thrives on neglect. Drought tolerant, heat tolerant and content in poor soil, so a gravel bed or a hot retaining wall suits it better than a watered garden.
• Frost hardy as well as heat hardy. Unusual for a succulent, it takes cold winters, which opens it up to cool temperate gardens.
• Bee friendly in summer. The flat yellow flower heads are easy for bees to work when many gardens have little else open.

Where it works best

Rockeries and gravel gardens. This is its natural home. It threads between rocks and across gravel, and the sharp drainage is exactly what it wants.

Groundcover and edging. Plant 30cm apart for a low carpet. At that spacing it closes over in two seasons, though it is slow growing, so keep the bed weeded meanwhile.

Retaining walls and pots. The shoots trail over a wall edge or a pot rim. In a container, use a cactus and succulent mix in a pot that drains freely.

Growing Blue Feather Stonecrop in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the strongest blue, while in shade the growth stretches and greens off. Warm temperate, cool temperate, Mediterranean and arid to semi-arid gardens all suit it. Humid subtropical and tropical summers are its weakness, where warm wet nights bring on rot.

Soil. Sharp drainage above all else. Sand, gravel and rocky ground are ideal, and it asks for no fertility. On clay, build a raised bed with coarse sand and grit rather than adding compost.

Water and feed. Water weekly for the first two months to settle the roots, then leave it to rainfall except in long dry spells. It needs no feeding in the ground, and at most one weak liquid feed each spring in a pot.

Pruning. Shear the spent flower stems off in autumn to keep the mat tidy. If a patch opens out in the centre, cut the stems back and lay them on the soil, where they root readily.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown as tube stock and in 140mm pots sold in packs of ten. Tubes are small rooted cuttings, ideal for a carpet at 30cm spacing where you need numbers. The 140mm plants arrive as filled pots and give a quicker result in a container or a small rockery.

Succulents travel better than almost anything, since the leaves carry their own water, but a few shoots may snap in transit. Push any broken pieces into the mix. Delivered Australia wide, delivery from $29.95, minimum order of $300 before delivery, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the succulent range
• Plants suited to rockeries
• Plants for retaining walls and slopes
• Plants that thrive in poor soil

Common questions

How many plants per square metre?

At 30cm spacing, about eleven per square metre for a solid carpet. Space them wider in a rockery where you want rock and gravel showing between the clumps.

Will it survive a wet summer?

In a well drained bed, yes. In heavy soil through a humid summer it is likely to rot, so subtropical and tropical gardens should grow it in pots or raised gravel beds.

Is it safe for pets?

We do not list it as pet friendly. Some sedums cause mild stomach upset if eaten in quantity, so it is not one to plant where a dog grazes. It also takes the odd step between pavers, but not regular foot traffic.