Other Names:  Cremnophila x Sedum

Description:

A compact stonecrop hybrid featuring dense clumps of bronze-green rosettes that turn reddish in full sun; yellow star shaped blooms in early spring; drought-tolerant and does well in poor soils, an excellent choice for color in the sunny garden or border

Ornamental Features

Little Gem Stonecrop has masses of beautiful clusters of yellow star-shaped flowers at the ends of the stems from late winter to early spring, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its attractive succulent round leaves emerge coppery-bronze in spring, turning bluish-green in color with showy brick red variegation and tinges of chartreuse the rest of the year. The ruby-red stems are very colorful and add to the overall interest of the plant.

Landscape Attributes

Little Gem Stonecrop is a dense herbaceous evergreen perennial with an upright spreading habit of growth. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.

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 bees and 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.

Little Gem Stonecrop is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Little Gem Stonecrop will grow to be only 3 inches tall at maturity extending to 5 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 12 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 12 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. 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 prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in 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. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. 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.

Little Gem 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.