Growing Sedum (Showy Stonecrop): A Complete Profile
By Growing Home Greens Team · August 20, 2026
Showy stonecrop is the border sedum with flat flower heads that open dusty pink in late summer and dry to rust.
The name changed, the plant did not
Botanists moved it out of Sedum into Hylotelephium. Every seed rack and nursery still labels it sedum, and this site records both so a search for either finds it.
Rich soil is the enemy
Fed and watered well, the stems grow soft and the clump splits open in the middle under the weight of the flower heads. Poor soil, full sun and restraint with the hose produce a plant that stands up on its own. If yours flops every year, that is the cause.
Leave the heads on
The dried flower heads hold their shape through winter, catch snow, and feed birds. Cutting the plant down in autumn throws away the best three months it has.
Sizes
One to two feet tall and wide, hardy zones 4 through 9, full sun to partial shade, flowering late summer into fall. Give it about two square feet.
Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, Hylotelephium spectabile.
Companion planting guide for Sedum (Showy Stonecrop) · Find your planting dates
Typically viable in USDA zones 4-9. Not sure your zone? Look it up by ZIP code.
Mature height: 1-2 ft
Method: Direct sow: Direct-sow outside. It doesn't transplant well, or doesn't need the extra time indoors.
When to plant sedum (showy stonecrop), by zone
Every zone sedum (showy stonecrop) grows in. Pick your zone in the header and it will be highlighted here. Each zone links to its full page.
| Zone | Start indoors | Sow or plant out | Bloom |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4a & 4b | Not usually | May 1–May 8 | First real harvest the season after planting |
| 5a & 5b | Not usually | Apr 26–May 3 | First real harvest the season after planting |
| 6a & 6b | Not usually | Apr 11–Apr 18 | First real harvest the season after planting |
| 7a & 7b | Not usually | Mar 27–Apr 3 | First real harvest the season after planting |
| 8a & 8b | Not usually | Mar 11–Mar 18 | First real harvest the season after planting |
| 9a & 9b | Not usually | Feb 1–Feb 8 | First real harvest the season after planting |
See exact start-indoors, direct-sow, and harvest dates for your zone →
How many Sedum (Showy Stonecrop) plants fit per square foot?
Spacing: about 2 square feet per plant (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 1-2 ft.
Varieties worth considering
- Autumn Joy: The standard upright sedum, and a Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit winner. NC State Extension describes light pink summer buds turning red from late summer into fall, then brown seed heads that hold through winter, on clumps 18 to 24 inches tall. It's drought and salt tolerant, a fall nectar source for butterflies and bees, and mostly ignored by rabbits. Its weaknesses are flopping, which staking or pinching back helps, and rot in wet soil. (source)
Why each variety is listed comes from the source shown next to it. We haven't grown these ourselves yet, so treat this as a research-backed starting point, not a personal endorsement. The buy links are separate from those sources: they go to seed suppliers that sell that exact variety, and we may earn a commission on some of them.
Where to buy sedum seeds
True Leaf Market (each supplier's sedum seeds)
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See it growing
Search YouTube for "growing sedum (showy stonecrop)" videos → (a live search, not a hand-picked video; results vary and aren't vetted by us)
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Growing Sedum (Showy Stonecrop): Succulent foliage all season, flat pink flower heads in late summer, and dried seed heads worth leaving all winter.
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