Those Sedums I Ordered by Mail

I'm always on a quest to find hardy, colorful sedums I like that I don't yet own. I'm most impressed with the 'Sunsparkler' varieties, and there are still a few of those I'd like, but those will also probably need to be ordered. I've seen a couple of the choices at Garden Solutions.

Meanwhile, I found two varieties that I didn't have, both from the same seller on eBay so that saved postage. Even so, there are no bargain plants when you order them this way. However, the plants came through exceptionally well packaged and larger than is usually the case, so I was fairly pleased.

I got these in May. They are growing slowly but nicely, and both look healthy. The first one will get medium tall and has bright pink-purple flowers. New growth isn't as purple, but as they mature the stems and leaves get dark. The rock garden can take a few taller plants, particularly by the retaining wall. Things by the wall also have to be able to stand some serious heat. The afternoon sun bounces off the wall and will fry anything delicate beside it. (Shasta daisies were a no-go there.) So this is Sedum 'Oriental Dancer.'

The other new one isn't quite what I expected. It's larger and coarser than I envisioned, but I'm certain I can find a place I like it. Maybe not where it is now, but that's fine. This is apparently a 'Sunsparkler' cultivar, but I'm not sure it's one they support any more. They seem to have dropped some of the ones that aren't the fastest growing. I think this will also get taller than I thought. It's called 'Blue Pearl.' It's also less blue than the pictures right now. In fact, it doesn't look much like the pictures. That doesn't mean it's the wrong thing. Sometimes it takes a while for plants to reach a growth stage that is the one promoted. Anyway, it's happy, and it's something different.

BONUS SECTION: piles of infamy

This is just 15 minutes worth of trimming autumn olive. I'm sure I got the flat tire trying to get too close to these bushes yesterday. I'm determined to make a dent in beating back the autumn olive this year. Tomorrow I'll drag the piles out of the yard.

In other news: I mowed more- everything near the house is done. That is not to say the edges are trimmed. I weeded in the rock garden- it's going very slowly. I should have tried to do it once before I went to NY, and now it's out of control. I edited and did computer stuff.

See Sedum Odds and Ends