Russian stonecrop
Sedum kamtschaticum · Crassulaceae
A neat mat of glossy, scalloped leaves with golden-yellow, starry flowers in early summer that age to orange-bronze seed heads.
- Size
- 6 in tall, 16 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Early June to mid July
- Pets
- Toxic to people
- Job in a bed
- Carpet
A bed built around Russian stonecrop
The planner designed this bed around Russian stonecrop when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 715 that suit those conditions and its dry soil, and says below why Russian stonecrop stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Russian stonecrop × 22, yellow
- 2 Sea thrift × 6, pink
- 3 Little bluestem 'The Blues' × 5, tan
- 4 False sunflower 'Summer Nights' × 3, yellow
- 5 Silver sage × 1, silver leaves
- 6 Sunset hyssop × 3, orange
- 7 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 2, purple
- 8 Hyacinth 'Delft Blue' × 10, blue
Why this plant
- The only dense clusters. The others are globes, spires and daisies. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
Why here
- Under the taller plants. It runs back between them as living mulch: there its job is to cover the soil, not to be looked at.
- 22 plants in 6 groups (5, 5, 3, 3, 3 and 3). Seen again further along, the same plant ties the bed together.
Why now
- In flower for six weeks. From early June to mid July.
- Fills a gap. For one of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 5 of the 6 groups (83%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Cool colours (pink, purple and blue) set against hot ones (yellow and orange), with tan to calm things between them. The most in flower at one time is 3 kinds, in early June.
The planner's own design check: 16 Excellent, 1 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where Russian stonecrop goes in a border
At 6 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is ground-hugging (up to 6 in).
Its job: carpet. A groundcover planted in threes and fives to cover the soil: along the front, and just behind it.
One of the best-behaved sedums: dense, weed-proof and never invasive. The leaves colour red and orange in autumn.
- Dependable groundcover for dry sun
- Rock gardens
- Slopes
What to plant with Russian stonecrop
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Blue fescue: its blue-green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; tall enough (10 in) to stand behind it; happy in the same dry soil.
- Cheddar pinks 'Firewitch': in flower together for three weeks, from early June; happy in the same dry soil.
- Sedum 'Dragon's Blood': in flower together for three weeks, from late June; happy in the same dry soil.
Questions about Russian stonecrop
Does Russian stonecrop need sun or shade?
Russian stonecrop grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants dry, sharply drained soil, on the lean side, with no feeding, and little watering once settled.
What zones does Russian stonecrop grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 8. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does Russian stonecrop flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early June to mid July. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 3 | Mid June to mid July |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Mid June to mid July |
| Zone 5 | Early June to mid July |
| Zone 6 | Early June to mid July |
| Zone 7 | Late May to early July |
| Zone 8 | Late May to early July |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should Russian stonecrop be planted?
12 in (30 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 16 in (40 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 6 in (15 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many Russian stonecrop plants do I need?
At 12 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 12 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 11 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 38 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as threes and fives, along the front and just behind it.
In the bed above, the planner used 22 in six groups.
Is Russian stonecrop poisonous?
Yes: mild toxicity to people. May cause mild stomach upset if eaten.
Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a native plant like Russian stonecrop?
Russian stonecrop comes from Russia, China, Japan and Korea. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Woolly yarrow: the same job in a bed, the same size, the same flowering time and the same colour; fine leaves, not medium.
- Three-toothed cinquefoil: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same flowering time; white, not yellow, fine leaves, not medium.
- Plantain-leaved pussytoes: the same job in a bed and the same size; grown for its leaves, not its flowers.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat Russian stonecrop?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What flowers after Russian stonecrop?
Russian stonecrop is over by mid July. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Lilyturf: from early August to mid September, 16 in tall.
- Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall.
- Ornamental onion 'Millenium': from mid July to late August, 18 in tall.
What does Russian stonecrop look like in winter?
Russian stonecrop holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
Is Russian stonecrop good for bees and butterflies?
Russian stonecrop is visited by pollinators and songbirds.
More Sedum
- Goldmoss stonecrop Sedum acre
- Sedum 'Angelina' Sedum rupestre 'Angelina'
- Sedum 'Blue Spruce' Sedum reflexum 'Blue Spruce'
- Sedum 'John Creech' Sedum spurium 'John Creech'
- Sedum 'Tricolor' Sedum spurium 'Tricolor'
- Tasteless stonecrop Sedum sexangulare
- White stonecrop 'Coral Carpet' Sedum album 'Coral Carpet'
- Woodland stonecrop Sedum ternatum
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial (groundcover)
- Size
- 6 in (15 cm) tall, 16 in (40 cm) wide
- Plant
- 12 in (30 cm) apart
- Height class
- Ground-hugging (up to 6 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Early June to mid July; dense clusters; yellow
- Leaves
- Medium texture, semi-evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Mat-forming, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Lean, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Crassulaceae
- Comes from
- Russia, China, Japan and Korea
- Attracts
- Pollinators, songbirds
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.