Golden Acre Home & Garden Centre's Plant Library

Other Names:  Autumn Stonecrop, Showy Stonecrop

Brand:  Terra Nova

Description:

A gorgeous variety producing clusters of rose-pink flowers with red centers, over radiant blue-gray foliage; a great choice for beds and borders and is an excellent cut flower; heat and drought tolerant

Ornamental Features

Marina Stonecrop has masses of beautiful clusters of rose star-shaped flowers with pink overtones and red eyes at the ends of the stems from late summer to early fall, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its attractive succulent oval leaves remain powder blue in colour with showy purple variegation and tinges of grayish green throughout the year. The dark red stems are very colorful and add to the overall interest of the plant.

Landscape Attributes

Marina Stonecrop is a dense herbaceous evergreen perennial with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other garden plants with finer foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Marina Stonecrop is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Marina Stonecrop will grow to be about 10 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 18 inches apart. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 15 years. As an evegreen perennial, this plant will typically keep its form and foliage year-round.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in poor soils, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Marina Stonecrop is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers and foliage against which the larger thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden. Be aware that in our climate, most plants cannot be expected to survive the winter if left in containers outdoors, and this plant is no exception. Contact our experts for more information on how to protect it over the winter months.