Quackin Grass Nursery

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A communing of the bees... hope all went well.

Sedum telephium 'Autumn Joy' (syn. 'Herbstfreude') - Introduced by Georg Arends of Germany in our estimation 'Autumn Joy' is simply the best Sedum telephium cultivar ever developed. 'Autumn Joy' is a plant of great merit sporting huge, domed heads densely packed with rose pink florets which begin opening in late August in northeastern Connecticut. Each floret is a five-pointed pink star. Fleshy gray-green to blue-green leaves are held horizontally on a small forest of tough, strong stems on this clumping perennial which easily support the weight of leaves and flower heads. Its texture is handsome as 'Autumn Joy' develops slowly through the growing season and makes a good contrast plant. And when in flower it is perfect with warm season grasses and hardy mums. A great draw for bees and butterflies it flowers for many weeks. The lovely pink ages to a more burnished red. A bonus is that this perennial's stems turn sienna brown carrying the dried, spent flowering structures all through the winter, even standing up to heavy snows. And it has never set a seed here. Why? Because it is a sterile clone, a hybrid that was likely introduced into the U.S. in the 1950s. 'Autumn Joy' may grow as short as 12 inches in a stingy mix and may burgeon to upwards of 36 inches in a very fertile, moisture retaining soil. Culturally it does prefer a better mix and can languish in a too-bony, impoverished soil. Full to nearly full sun. Established plant from cutting.