White stonecrop

White stonecrop: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Low, creeping mat about 10 cm tall and 30 cm or more wide, with stems that root along the ground.

Foliage

Small (0.5–2 cm), fleshy, cylindrical to oval and alternate along the stem; green, turning red to reddish brown in drought and cold.

Flower

Small white to pale pink stars in flat clusters, from June to August, on stems 10–15 cm tall.

Roots

Fine and shallow; any piece of stem that touches the soil can root.

Water storage

The fleshy leaves hold water, so the plant sails through long dry spells.

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

Why grow it?

• Ground cover for the driest, poorest spots: full sun, gravel, sand, roofs and low walls.
• Flowers from June to August; bees and hoverflies visit the tiny blooms.
• Evergreen: the leaves turn red in drought and cold and give colour in winter.
• Almost no work: no watering, no feeding, no pruning.
• Fills joints, crevices and bare patches between stones, and roots wherever a piece touches the soil.

White stonecrop: where does it grow best?

• Full sun is ideal; in half shade the mat becomes looser and flowers less.
• Poor, well-drained soil: sand or loam, preferably mixed with grit or gravel. Acid to chalky soil is fine.
• Dry to normal: heavy soil that stays wet makes it rot.
• Plant 20–30 cm apart; the mat closes within a season or two.
• Suits roofs, wall tops, gravel beds, containers and gaps between paving.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Dry

Size

0.1 m tall, 0.3 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -30 °C)

Goes well with

• Houseleek: Rosettes for rock gardens and gravel beds with the same poor, sunny needs.
• Biting stonecrop: A yellow carpet in June next to the white stonecrop; together they cover a roof or gravel area.
• Creeping thyme: Scented mats with pink flowers on the same dry soil.
• Blue fescue: Blue-grey tufts that contrast with the low carpet.

White stonecrop: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–May and September–October.

1. Plant in March–May or in September–October, when the soil is neither frozen nor waterlogged.
2. Remove weeds and open up heavy soil with coarse sand or fine gravel. Do not add compost or fertiliser.
3. Set plants or pieces of mat 20–30 cm apart, at the same depth as in the pot, and firm them in.
4. Water once after planting, then only in prolonged drought during the first year.
5. If you like, spread a thin layer of grit or gravel around the plants instead of a compost or bark mulch.

Care

Water

Not needed once established, even in dry summers. Too much water makes the stems rot.

Feeding

Avoid: on rich soil the plant becomes tall and floppy and colours less.

Weeding

Weed regularly between young plants in the first year; a dense mat later suppresses weeds itself.

Spent flowers

They can stay. Cut them off in late summer or spring for a tidy mat.

Keeping it in check

Simply pull by hand any pieces that settle where you do not want them (paving, lawn).

Tip: Do not feed, and use sand or gravel as the base: on poor soil the mat stays compact and turns a lovely red. Broken pieces root by themselves, so use them to fill bare patches.

White stonecrop: when to prune it?

When: Pruning is not needed. At most, remove dead pieces and spent flower stems in March–April.

How:

• Cut spent flower stems with scissors right down to the mat.
• Remove brown or rotting pieces by hand.
• Pull back edges that spread too far; the broken pieces will root elsewhere.

Caution: Avoid walking over the mat regularly: the brittle stems snap.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Cuttings

From March to September: break off pieces of stem 3–5 cm long and lay or press them onto poor soil; they root by themselves.

Division

In spring or September, lift a piece of mat with roots and replant it elsewhere.

Seed

In spring, sprinkle the fine seed on sandy soil and firm it in without covering it. The plant also self-sows.

White stonecrop: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −30 °C.

• Fully hardy to about −30 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
• In winter the leaves often turn red to brown; this is normal and not damage.
• In pots and troughs: provide drainage holes and do not stand the pot in a saucer of water, because wet feet are more dangerous than frost.

Diseases and pests

• Rot: Stems turn soft and brown after wet winters or in heavy soil. Improve drainage with sand or grit, or move the plant to a drier spot.
• Long, floppy growth: Too much shade or soil that is too rich. Give more sun and never feed; cut back leggy stems.
• Bare patches: Gaps appear after wet spells or trampling. Fill them with pieces of stem pressed into the soil.
• Weeds: Grass and weeds invade the young mat. Pull them out by hand as soon as you see them.

Through the year

• March: Plant. Remove dead pieces and old flower stems.
• April: Plant or divide. Lay cuttings.
• May: Plant. Weed young plantings.
• June: Flowering begins. No water or feed needed.
• July: Full flower; bees and hoverflies visit the blooms.
• August: Last flowers. Cut off spent stems if you like.
• September: Plant or divide.
• October: Plant. The leaves start to turn red.
• December: Rest. Red winter tint on the leaves.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The species name album is Latin for white and refers to the flowers.
• White stonecrop is one of the standard plants for extensive green roofs, because it grows without maintenance on a thin layer of substrate.
• A broken piece of stem can still root, even after several days lying on dry ground.