Common Name: stonecrop
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Crassulaceae
Zone: 3 to 8
Height: 0.25 to 0.75 feet
Spread: 0.75 to 1.00 feet
Bloom Time: June to July
Bloom Description: Yellow
Sun: Full sun
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Ground Cover, Naturalize
Flower: Showy
Tolerate: Rabbit, Deer, Drought, Air Pollution
Culture
Easily grown in average, dry to medium, well-drained soils in full sun. Tolerates some light shade. Also tolerates hot and humid conditions. Thrives in sandy to gravelly soils of moderate to low fertility. Needs good soil drainage to perform well. Plants will spread in the garden over time. Site starter plants 8-12” apart for massing as a ground cover.
'Oracle' may be grown from seed.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Sedum fosterianum is a mat-forming, evergreen stonecrop that it native to western Europe. It typically grows to 4-8" tall and spreads to 10-12" wide. Non-flowering stems are densely covered with pointed, flattened, succulent, gray-green leaves (to 3/8" long) in obconical rosettes.
Genus name comes from the Latin word sedeo meaning to sit in reference to the general growing habit of many of the sedums (they sit and sprawl over rocks).
Sedums are commonly called stonecrops in reference to the fact that many of the sedums are typically found in the wild growing on rocky or stony ledges.
'Oracle' is a cultivar that features star-shaped yellow flowers (1/2” wide) that bloom in terminal clusters (cymes) in summer (June-July).
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Watch for slugs and snails. Scale may occur.
Uses
Excellent ground cover. Border fronts or rock gardens. Best massed or in groups. Site in areas where both the foliage and flowers may be appreciated. Will drape over stone walls. Effective in containers.