I’m In The Pacific Northwest. A Sedum I Planted At…
Carolyn Asked
I’m in the Pacific Northwest. A sedum I planted at the end of June ’09 received some damage from wind and rain last night. What is the best way to start new plants from the broken stems? It’s a beautiful plant, it was just starting to bloom.
The Gardener’s Answer
Hi, Carolyn: Gardening in the Pacific Northwest is a territory I have not gotten my chance at yet, but if sedums grow in your garden the way they do in any sunny, well-drained garden in Kentucky, they will be very easy to propagate. In fact, they are probably the easiest plant to propagate. With very little effort you can have new plants in no time. Simply take the pieces that have already broken off, or take a few new cuttings from new growth that are a couple of inches long, and replant them either in the garden or in a small container. If you decide to pot them up in a container, make sure it has a drainage hole and fill it with a loose soil specifically for cacti and succulents. I have literally taken broken pieces of a lower growing sedum ‘Angelina’ and laid them in the garden. I did not plant them, I just placed them on top of the soil and they are now a beautiful mass of chartreuse green. In general, sedums and other hardy succulents are very low maintenance. They need to be watered as they are becoming established, but as long as they are planted in a space where they will receive a minimum of six hours of direct sun and the soil allows for good drainage, they will be very happy plants. As the taller sedums produce flowers they can become top-heavy, and I am sure this is why they were damaged during the wind/rain storm but they will certainly recover.
