Sedum telephium 'Autumn Joy'
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AUTUMN JOY SEDUM
syn. Hylotelephium, Sedum 'Herbstfreude'
Family: Crassulaceae
Pronounced: SAY-dum TEH-LEH-fee-um
GROWING GUIDE
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Geographic Origin:
Garden.
Plant Group:
Perennials.
Hardiness:
Sunset zones: 1-10, 14-24.
USDA zones: 3-10.
Heat zones: 10-1.
Mature size:
Height 2-3 feet (60-90 cm).
Width: 2 feet (60 cm).
Flowering period:
July through fall.
Flowering attributes:
Flower heads form in July and the flat corymbs look like broccoli. In August, the flowers start to color up, turning pink. Slowly the flowers turn red, and later in fall they turn a deeper rusty-red.
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Leaf attributes: Succulent, dark green leaves.
Growth habit: Clump-forming.
Light: Full sun.
Soil: Light, well-drained soil.
Feeding: S. 'Autumn Joy' is not a heavy feeder, but I give it a complete organic fertilizer in spring and side dress with compost or manure.
Propagation Methods: Stem cuttings. | Division. | My favorite: In early spring pull a rosette off the main plant and transplant the small rosette to a new area in the garden.
Pruning Methods: No pruning is necessary except to clean up dead stems in late fall. If you leave the plant intact over winter, prune out dead stems in early spring. If you accidentally pull up a rosette while pruning, see propagation method above.
Rainy Side Notes
Sedum telephium 'Autumn Joy' technically should be called S. 'Herbstfreude'; however, in English speaking countries it may be hard to wrestle the popular 'Autumn Joy' from our lips and replace it with 'Herbstfreude'. This sedum is the most popular plant in the subgenus Hylotelephium. It is an easy plant to grow; the flowers add a lot of color to the late summer and fall garden.
For best results, grow the tall sedums in full sun. Planted in partial shade, they become leggy and tend to topple over. However, this can also be an indication that it is time to divide the plant.The Royal Horticultural Society gave Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ the Award of Garden Merit. For the Pacific Northwest, this should be a top perennial for the garden.
Debra Teachout-Teashon
Photographed in author's garden.
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