Kamchatka stonecrop

Kamchatka stonecrop: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Low, creeping, mat-forming perennial about 15 cm high and 40 cm wide, with ascending stems.

Foliage

Fleshy, spoon-shaped to obovate, 3–5 cm, with a toothed or serrated edge; green to grey-green.

Flower

Dense heads of golden-yellow, star-shaped florets above the foliage, from June to August.

Colour

Golden yellow; in ‘Weihenstephaner Gold’ the flower colour is especially intense.

Roots

Fibrous to tuberous, with stems that root easily where they touch the ground.

Flowering: June–August · Plants: March–May and September–October · Pruning: March

Why grow it?

• A tough, dense ground cover for dry, sunny spots.
• Golden-yellow flowers from June to August: a treat for bees and other insects.
• Drought-tolerant and hardy down to about −30 °C.
• Almost no maintenance: no water, no feed, little pruning.
• Ideal for rock gardens, walls, gravel gardens, green roofs and containers.

Kamchatka stonecrop: where does it grow best?

• Full sun or light partial shade; in too much shade it becomes long and floppy.
• Free-draining, lean soil: sand or loam, acid to chalky. Never waterlogged.
• Dry to normal: it tolerates drought extremely well, but not wet feet.
• Allow 30 cm between plants; they fill the gaps in one to two years.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.15 m tall, 0.4 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -30 °C)

Goes well with

• Lavender: The same dry, sunny soil; purple flowers above the yellow carpet.
• Thyme: A fragrant ground cover that tolerates the same lean soil.
• Blue fescue: Blue-grey tufts that stand out against the green and golden yellow.
• Houseleek: Rosettes and mats in the same dry, sunny spot, ideal for a rock garden.

Kamchatka stonecrop: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–May and September–October.

1. Plant in March–May or September–October, when the soil is neither frozen nor too wet.
2. Mix heavy soil with a third grit or sand; a light, lean soil is ideal.
3. Plant at the same depth as in the pot and firm the soil lightly.
4. Keep 30 cm between plants.
5. Water once after planting, then only during long dry spells.
6. Spread a thin layer of gravel around the plant to keep weeds down and the soil dry.

Care

Water

Almost never once established. Only in long dry spells for pots and containers.

Feeding

Not needed: too rich a soil gives long, floppy growth.

Mulching

Use gravel or grit, not compost or bark.

Deadheading

You can leave the faded heads or cut them off after flowering; they do no harm to the plant.

Dividing

Divide the plant every 3–4 years to keep it fresh, or when the centre goes bare.

Weeding

Weed between young plants in spring until the carpet has closed.

Tip: Keep it dry: give it gravel rather than compost and plant it in the sun without wet feet. Every piece of stem you cut off can root again.

Kamchatka stonecrop: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March.

When: In March, before the new shoots start to grow.

How:

• Cut off dead stems and dried leaves just above the ground.
• After flowering or in March, cut off the dried flower heads.
• Cut back long, floppy shoots if the plant grows too loosely.
• Remove old, bare stems at the base.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Cuttings

During the growing season, for example in June–August: cut 5–8 cm pieces of stem, let them dry for a day and lay or insert them in sandy soil. They usually root within a few weeks.

Division

In March–April or September: lift a clump, divide it into pieces with roots and replant at once, 30 cm apart.

Kamchatka stonecrop: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −30 °C.

• Fully hardy down to about −30 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
• The foliage may partly die back or look worse in winter, but the plant regrows in spring.
• Wet soil in winter is more dangerous than frost: make sure drainage is good.
• In a pot or container: stand it in a dry spot and do not leave it standing in water.

Diseases and pests

• Root rot: Limp, brown foliage in wet soil. Improve drainage with grit or plant in a drier spot.
• Long and floppy: Too much shade or too rich a soil. Put it in the sun and do not feed.
• Bare patches: In old plants the centre dies. Divide the plant and replant the healthy pieces.
• Vine weevil: The grubs eat the roots, especially in pots: the plant suddenly collapses. Check the roots and use nematodes in autumn.

Through the year

• March: Cut off dead foliage and stems. Plant or divide.
• April: Plant. Weed between young plants.
• May: Plant. Cuttings are already possible.
• June: Flowering begins.
• July: Flowering. Bees on the flowers.
• August: Flowering. Take cuttings.
• September: Plant or divide.
• October: Plant. If the soil is wet, improve drainage.
• December: Rest.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• It used to be called Sedum kamtschaticum; since it was given its own genus it is called Phedimus.
• Stonecrops store water in their fleshy leaves and use a special form of photosynthesis, CAM, which is named after the succulent family Crassulaceae.
• The name Sedum probably comes from the Latin ‘sedere’ (to sit), because these plants like to ‘sit’ on rocks and walls.