Sedum ‘Silver Mound’

Sedum 'Silver Mound' is the low silver mat for the hot, dry, half forgotten corner of a garden. It builds to about 150mm tall and 400mm across, spreading into a dense cushion of fleshy silver grey rosettes, then lifts short heads of yellow flowers that bees work over. Planted 30cm apart it closes into continuous groundcover without ever needing a hose dragged out to it.

Why you'll love it

• Silver foliage that holds all year. The colour comes from the leaves, so the planting still reads well in the months when nothing is in bloom.
• Genuinely drought tolerant. The fleshy leaves store their own water, and once established it gets by on rain alone in most temperate gardens.
• Frost hardy at one end, heat tolerant at the other. It suits cool temperate, warm temperate, Mediterranean and arid gardens, a wide brief for a plant this small.
• Poor soil is no obstacle. Gravelly, sandy or thin soil over rock all work, provided water drains away rather than sitting.

Where it works best

Rockeries and gravel gardens. Tuck it between stones where the crown sits proud of the surrounding soil and the silver reads against the rock.

Groundcover and mass planting. Space plants 30cm apart for a solid low carpet. The mounds knit within a season or two, and closer planting only makes weeding harder.

Borders, edging and pots. At 150mm tall it softens the front of a bed without flopping onto paving, and a shallow trough gives you full control of drainage.

Growing Sedum 'Silver Mound' in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the tightest growth and the strongest silver. It is frost hardy, so cool temperate gardens are no problem, and it takes real heat in Mediterranean and arid districts. The honest limit is humidity: this is not a plant for a humid subtropical or tropical summer.

Soil. Sharp drainage matters far more than fertility. On heavy clay, raise the bed or plant into a gravel mound, and run coarse grit around the crown to keep the lower leaves out of wet mulch.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer to get roots down, then leave it be. Feeding is largely unnecessary, and rich soil produces soft, floppy growth that loses the compact shape.

Pruning. Shear the spent flower heads off once they brown. Lift and divide any patch that thins in the middle after a few years, replanting the divisions straight back.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in one size, tube stock, which is a small rooted plant a few centimetres across rather than a finished cushion. That is the sensible way to buy groundcover: tubes cost less per square metre and a bed planted at 30cm spacing usually reads as continuous cover by the end of the second growing season.

Succulent foliage travels well, so plants arrive in good order with the odd bruised leaf at most. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the full succulent range for companions on the same watering schedule.
• See more plants suited to rockeries.
• Ideas for low growing border planting.
• Read about what grows well in poor soil.

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it?

Thirty centimetres apart in staggered rows. That closes into a continuous mat within a season or two and leaves room to weed between plants while they fill in.

Can I grow it in a humid subtropical garden?

It is not the right pick. Warm wet summers keep the crown damp and invite rot, which is why the listed climates stop at warm temperate. In those gardens, grow it in a pot under an eave.

Can I walk on it?

No. It is groundcover, not a lawn substitute, and the fleshy leaves crush underfoot. Set steppers through the planting if you need access.