Sedum ALBUM

Sedum ALBUM - White stonecrop, Sedum album.

Sedum is a genus of low succulents in the family Crassulaceae with thick succulent leaves, fleshy stems, and star-shaped inflorescences. The genus includes over 400 annual and perennial species that are unpretentious in care and capable of spreading rapidly, inhabiting predominantly the Northern Hemisphere and displaying numerous variations in shape and size. Most species in their natural environment grow on poor soils of dry rocky or sandy steppes and dunes.

Sedums form beautiful dense bushes or ground-creeping "carpets" of green, bluish, or bronze-red leaves. The leaves of evergreen species acquire a reddish tint in winter. On the stem, fleshy leaf blades of various sizes and different arrangements serve as water storage reservoirs and contribute to survival during periods of drought. Some species bloom in autumn with star-shaped, usually five-petaled, white, yellow, pink, or purple flowers that change color during flowering.

White stonecrop is found in nature in the European part of Russia, the Caucasus, Western Europe, North Africa, and Asia Minor. It received its name for its fragrant white flowers. Its use in traditional medicine led to the emergence of many popular folk names: God's flower, thunder bean, living herb, soapwort, bee herb, creaker, uzik, healer, six-week herb.

Seeds require preliminary stratification: sowing is carried out superficially in a container with well-drained, rich soil, moistened with a spray bottle, covered with glass or film, and placed in a refrigerator at a temperature of 5-7 °C (41-45 °F). The sowing is kept under these conditions for 14 days, then moved to room conditions with good lighting, where it requires humidity monitoring and ventilation. Shoots appear on days 15-30 at a temperature of 18-20 °C (64-68 °F). Pricking out is performed after the appearance of the first two true leaves.

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Most Sedums prefer direct sunlight, but can also tolerate light shade. They grow readily in well-drained poor to medium soil. They require watering only as the soil dries out and do not tolerate frequent overwatering or standing water. To control spread, the plant can be divided in spring or autumn. Most species are tolerant of low temperatures. Growth should be covered for the winter period in late November to early December if natural snow cover is absent. In early spring after frosts cease, dead shoots and dry branches that did not survive winter but provided additional protection against cold are removed. There is no need for formative pruning; in the event of strong spreading, clumps are divided and transplanted elsewhere. Representatives of the genus do not like overly fertile soil and do not need fertilizing. However, in early spring a small amount of all-purpose garden plant fertilizer can be applied.