Pure Joy Sedum

Pure Joy Sedum (Sedum spectabile 'Pure Joy') is a compact, mounded sedum about 30cm high and 45cm wide, with petite silver-green leaves and a crown of pale pinkish-white starry flowers in summer. It keeps flowering well into autumn, when many plants are fading, and bees and butterflies come for the nectar. It was a 2020 Plant Trials winner at Sydney Botanic Gardens, where it performed very well in a dry bed in full sun.

Why you'll love it

• Pale pink in autumn. Soft pinkish-white starry flowers cover the mound and carry on into autumn, long after most plants have started winding down for winter.
• A magnet for bees and butterflies. The nectar-rich flowers draw them through the late season.
• Proven in a dry bed. In the 2020 Plant Trials at Sydney Botanic Gardens it performed very well in a dry bed in full sun.
• A compact, tidy mound. A 30cm by 45cm dome with silver-green foliage looks good before it flowers as well as after.
• Totally cold hardy. It copes with dry, poor soils where little else thrives, and it is happy in rocky, sandy ground and exposed positions.

Where it works best

Rockeries and dry beds. Plant 40cm apart in full sun for a rhythm of mounds. It takes thin, stony soil without complaint.

Large pots. The mounded habit suits a big pot of gritty mix on a sunny patio.

Wildlife and coastal gardens. The late flowers feed insects, and sandy, exposed positions suit it, so it earns a place in a wildlife border or near the sea.

Growing Pure Joy Sedum in Australia

Position and climate. Bright sunlight. It is totally cold hardy and suits cool temperate, warm temperate, Mediterranean and dry inland gardens. It is happiest where summers are dry. In the humid subtropics, grow it in a raised bed or a pot where water drains away fast.

Soil. Free-draining soil. It is very happy in rocky and sandy ground, but it does not like wet soils or clay, so add grit or raise the bed if your soil is heavy.

Water and feed. Water new plants until they root in. Established plants are waterwise and manage on little.

Pruning. Almost none is required. Snip off old flowerheads in winter if you want to tidy the appearance. As a herbaceous sedum, it may die back in the coldest districts and reshoot in spring.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Pure Joy Sedum as tube stock, a young plant in an 80mm deep tube that establishes quickly. It arrives as a small, fresh mound, and it grows into its full 30cm by 45cm shape over a couple of seasons. Plant it out in full sun and give it a drink to settle it in.

Tube stock comes from our grower and is not always available. When the grower has none, the tube shows as sold out, and the notify button on the page emails you the day it is back.

Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Rockery plants
• Bee and butterfly friendly plants
• Plants for full sun
• Waterwise garden guide

Common questions

When does it flower?

In summer, and it carries on long into autumn, when many other plants are winding down. The flowers are light pinkish-white and cover the mound.

Is Pure Joy the same as Hylotelephium?

Yes. Botanists now file many upright sedums such as this one under Hylotelephium, but it is still sold and known as sedum. Care is the same.

Will it grow in clay?

It does not like wet soils or clay. Mound the soil, mix in grit, or grow it in a raised bed or a pot.