I think Catmint hit the nail on the head. Now I know I am going to give 'Ogon' a try again. Going to get some today. Thank you Catmint.

Aww thank *you* Lynn for your kind words. Hope it does well for you!

Catmint20906 said:I had the same experience with my 'Ogon' last year--it kept petering out; I tried both full and part sun. This year, I have it nestled under the viburnum and a large azalea, where it probably gets a little dappled sun but mostly shade. It's finally doing well.

How's the water level there? I have some shady spots available now that I think I'll try if I come across more. Unfortunately (it's always something!) they don't get much water at all - even in the dumping rain. I have to remember to go out and manually water them, which is going to be a weird thing to do later in the year in the driving rain... (Why is that guy outside watering in the rain?? )

Re: Chocolate drop: Mine seem to hang on for several months then just flop out over the course of a couple days to a week. Very odd. I had one that held on through searing sun all summer then vanished randomly a month or so ago. Then I have the other plants in a much more regular sun/shade cycle area that are just now dying out after about 2-3 months of appearing generally healthy. I just have my cuttings left. I guess if they make it long enough to fill the pot I'll split them up and try some other spots - I'm thinking if I do I'll completely remove the yard soil and just fill in that test section with the potting soil I have in the pots.

Could you guys be having an issue with Ph levels in the water/soil out there? I know my brother's water is so hard almost nothing grows unless they add some kind of acid. MR

We get a fair amount of rain here in MD. I don't supplement my sedum with hand watering. I figure they usually are happy with a little natural dryness in between the rainfalls!

Sometimes it's not the amount of water but what is in the water. Some plants need a very acid soil, and unless the water is neutral or acid, it can upset the balance. And vice versa, if they need a "sweet" soil... Just wondering. MR

The soil in our area tends to be on the acid side. I believe that sedums tend to do well in a mild acid to mild alkaline range.

Ofm, here in the PNW we don't need to water them, except maybe once or twice in the months of July, August and Sept. Unless it rains, then I won't water them at all during those months. But we seldom get any rain in Aug, and even Sept. And they need full sun. Mine are all still upright and alive and well. The leaves are starting to turn to the fall coloring with the cooler weather and shorter daylight.

OFM last year my sedums all died out like that, I figured out it was that they were in places that didn't drain very well, and so were a little too moist.

valleylynn said:Ofm, here in the PNW we don't need to water them, except maybe once or twice in the months of July, August and Sept. Unless it rains, then I won't water them at all during those months. But we seldom get any rain in Aug, and even Sept. And they need full sun. Mine are all still upright and alive and well. The leaves are starting to turn to the fall coloring with the cooler weather and shorter daylight.

I'm so paranoid about not watering - it seemed like my front (full sun) batch really suffered when I didn't water them, and then recovered when I did (experimenting!). I was thinking they would just need that for the first summer and then need less once they got established? Or is it really just drop them in the drop and walk away?

The first year I do water them and keep them in a state of growing well. Once established they seem to do very well in very little care. This is the tall upright ones.
I think withholding water causes them to send their roots deeper.
Here is a photo taken today. Full sun, almost no water this summer, once in July, once in August, none in Sept or Oct. Deep, fast draining sandy loam compost. All of them have started going into dormancy in the last week. It has turned cold her at night, but as you can see they are still standing upright with no support, had nice foliage until heading into dormancy.
I will leave the seed stalks until spring, when the new growth starts popping through the soil.

Pretty Lynn!!

Thank you Greg.
As you can see, 'Elsie's Gold' holds on to it's leaves the longest, along with 'Autumn Joy'. 'Blue Pearl' is one of the first to start dropping leaves in the autumn.
'Elsie's Gold' is also prone to aphids in drought conditions, but it didn't seem to bother the plant.

Lynn that 'Elsie's Gold' is a lovely plant!!

I had no idea it would make such an impressive show. I have come to love it.

Yes I can see why!!

I've had Sedum 'Ogon' planted in-ground, in full sun for a few seasons without any trouble. It spreads nicely but isn't a thug like Angelina. My sedums never get any supplemental water, and our summers can get hot!

I've never been able to grow 'Ogon' in a container, though! I think our winters are just a little too cold for 'Ogon' to overwinter in a container. I tried growing it indoors one winter but it didn't like my indoor conditions.

valleylynn said:The first year I do water them and keep them in a state of growing well. Once established they seem to do very well in very little care. This is the tall upright ones.
I think withholding water causes them to send their roots deeper.
Here is a photo taken today. Full sun, almost no water this summer, once in July, once in August, none in Sept or Oct. Deep, fast draining sandy loam compost. All of them have started going into dormancy in the last week. It has turned cold her at night, but as you can see they are still standing upright with no support, had nice foliage until heading into dormancy.
I will leave the seed stalks until spring, when the new growth starts popping through the soil.

How Pretty!
Alright, I'll do my best to restrain my watering urges.
I was wondering what to do about the seed stalks - I figured I'd just leave them there until they fell off naturally? Does that cause excess drooping? What do they do in the dormancy stage?

In dormancy all the above ground stems die. You will need to carefully cut them off at ground level when you see the new growth starting to emerge. I leave the stalks for the birds to feed on the seeds. Plus the dead stalks mark the spot so you won't disturb the dormant plant.

Here is is coming out of dormancy, this is when you can remove the dead stalks.

Even here in Zone 4 those succulents thrive, in fairly heavy clay soil with absolutely no care other than dividing them.

I just took a photo of another succulent that has managed to survive 2 winters here, although it is in our most sheltered garden with decent drainage. It came with the NoID semp next to it. Does anyone know if it is something special, or just a weed? It certainly hasn't become invasive, and I do rather like it although so far it hasn't shown any sign of blooming...