Hi All! I'm hoping to hear from some of you experienced succulent landscapers in regards to a couple of questions.

1. Which Sedums play well with Semps and cover the ground without taking over?
2. Which Sedums can tolerate the most impact from feet? How did you plant them, e.g. in between stepping stones or around stone stairs?

Thanks for the thorough and engaging forum!

Hi Annie, so good to see you.
I have had good results with Sedum lydium, and the spurium types, But even some of the hylotelephium types work very nice with semps.






Delosperma works well also. You do need to prune back the delo occasionally.


I also find that some of the hylotelephium do well growing with semps. This is growing on the edge of a semp bed.


These also are growing on the edge of another semp bed.


This sedum goes summer dormant during the hot part of summer, but comes back quickly once the late summer showers return.


I stay away from the rupestre types that tend to be taller, like 'Blue Spruce' and some others.
I have found that 'Gold Selet', 'Angelina' and 'Tokyo Sun' work really well, giving great color and giving a little height.

Hope this was helpful?

@springcolor @webesemps @pardalium @dirtdorphins.

Lets get some more ideas going.

You have shown some good choices, Lynn. I would pass on the Angelina because it seems to come up all over. It does pull out easily though. Also seems to handle light foot traffic as I can't help to step on it when I need to get deeper into the garden.

Sedum sarmentosum is one to avoid as it wildly spreads and now I need to clear it from my foot path. See, you need to know which ones to NOT get as well as recommended ones.

I like Lynn's idea of Delosperma, a favorite of mine.

Yes Connie, I agree about knowing which ones not to use this way.
Sedum album can be difficult to keep in control, I have it growing on my cement bridge. Every little piece that breaks away starts a new colony.
I also had problems with 'Blue Spruce'.

I'm not a fan of growing semps and sedum together. I just feel that the sedum just can take over, makes for maintaining issues. Hylotephium works well as long as you hold the semps a good distance from the other.

I do like the look of sedum and sempervivums together but it definitely takes time to see what works with what. I normally use ground cover sedum types as opposed to the "border" sedums (the tall types) but even the ground cover types can overtake a semp bed over a couple of years. I have been looking for the smaller species/cultivars to companion with semps and only time can tell which works best for me as my growing space has gotten smaller.

Here are some pics from a raised semp bed with scatterings of Sedum (album, oaxacanum, sexangulare and 'Angelina')






After a year or two, the random scattering of sedums resulted in some of them turning into a bed of its own, or clustering into a big mound or sending out branches that covered the semps. Definitely a regular bit of pruning helps to keep it from covering its neighbors but I'm sure there are types that probably grow slower and more compact. It's a matter of finding those and incorporating them into any combo beds. The Sedum 'Faro Form seems a good candidate for compactness and color in smaller spaces. I like the color and look of the Sedum dashphyllum but one needs to also consider hardiness of the many types to see what would work in which zones

Great information Bev. It does take a bit of experimenting to see what works for the particular location (growing zone), soil and water available. Also placement as to amounts of sun or shade.
Depending on the conditions the sedum makinoi line can work beautifully. They would require a bit more moisture and maybe bright light (back side of a rock?) but not full harsh sun.

Hmmmm...
I'm inclined to say none of them that cover the ground and tolerate foot traffic can play well with semps and not take over

album is a terrible hitchhiker --a happy, useful accident in some places and an evil consuming disaster in others

I, too, like the look and keep trying different things but I have yet to succeed in finding a "ground cover" that works with semps--always, I am ripping out one or the other and sometimes both
so far there are a few sedums I have had success with as their own well behaved clump that could coexist
with semps...

xsedoro is very well behaved, and cute...doesn't always live thru my winters though...


does well as long as nothing else crowds it


currently lives peacefully with semps
I have another cauticola that I can't remember the name of at the moment that might be trying to eat a semp...I'll have to find that pic later


was awesome, until it died
actually, there's a long list of awesome plants that fry to death in the summer here


was awesome, until I failed to pull out all the 'reversions' to some kinda thing that wanted to eat the garden


and I have a couple more right now that I like, have pics, need to find them, but I gotta eat and go to bed!
later--

Great suggestions Dirt. Here are some more that would play well with semps.
This one is in a container, but I also have another plant in one of the semp beds. Love this one.

Thank you all so much. I'm fitting some of these suggestions into an experimental bed and I'll get back to y'all when there are some results and photos.

Thank you!

Can't wait to see what you come up with Annie. Don't forget photos for us.