Perfect Partners
If we were thinking of plants in terms of potential partners, border stonecrops are marriage material. While some perennials provide a knock-out show of colour for a few weeks, stonecrops provide subtle interest almost all year round: attractive foliage in spring, pretty flowers in late summer and early autumn, followed by seedheads that will endure the big freeze. They are not the showiest of plants, but few perennials work harder to earn their place.
Confusingly, border stonecrops used to be classed as , but underwent a name change and now belong to their own genus, . The low-growing, creeping, small-leaved stonecrops suited to green roofs and path edging, meanwhile, are still classed as . However, many gardeners continue to refer to their bigger cousins as ‘border sedums’ and some know them as ice plants.
