Sedum 'Frosty Morn'
Hylotelephium erythrostictum 'Frosty Morn' · Crassulaceae
Grey-green leaves with a clean white edge, on upright stems, topped in early autumn with flower heads that are white in heat and pale pink in the cool.
- Size
- 18 in tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Late August to early October
- Pets
- Toxic to people
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around sedum 'Frosty Morn'
The planner designed this bed around sedum 'Frosty Morn' 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 sedum 'Frosty Morn' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Sedum 'Frosty Morn' × 5, white
- 2 Cheddar pinks 'Firewitch' × 13, pink
- 3 Winter heath × 4, purple
- 4 Stiff goldenrod × 3, yellow
- 5 Wild bergamot × 3, lavender
- 6 Blue oat grass × 1, tan
- 7 Star of Persia × 2, purple
- 8 Lady tulip × 8, red
Why this plant
- The only dense clusters. The others are bells, flat plates, globes and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- A classic partner for blue oat grass. Both are on this plan. A pairing gardeners have proved outranks a general rule.
- The only white. White sits between stronger colours and calms them.
Why here
- In the middle. At 18 in it is the step between winter heath (10 in) in front and blue oat grass (2½ ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- A step in the back row. Next to blue oat grass (2½ ft) and wild bergamot (3½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 5 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
Why now
- In flower for 7 weeks. From late August to early October.
- Closes the season. In its last week 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. The flowering is at its height from early June, with 3 kinds out together. The bold leaves of stiff goldenrod are set against the fine leaves of blue oat grass, the kind of contrast that keeps a bed from blurring.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 3 Good, 1 Satisfactory. 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 sedum 'Frosty Morn' goes in a border
At 18 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is short (12 to 18 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
The best variegated border sedum: it looks frosted all summer. Pull out any stem that reverts to plain green, or the whole plant will follow.
- Variegated foliage in full sun
- Autumn flowers
- Cooling down hot colours
What to plant with sedum 'Frosty Morn'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Purple coneflower: in flower together for three weeks, from late August; tall enough (3 ft) to stand behind it.
- Blue oat grass: flowers first, early June to early July, so the spot is never empty; tall enough (2½ ft) to stand behind it; happy in the same dry soil.
- Russian sage: in flower together for four weeks, from late August; tall enough (4 ft) to stand behind it; happy in the same dry soil.
Questions about sedum 'Frosty Morn'
Does sedum 'Frosty Morn' need sun or shade?
Sedum 'Frosty Morn' 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 sedum 'Frosty Morn' grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 9. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does sedum 'Frosty Morn' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late August to early October. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 3 | Late August to early October |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Late August to early October |
| Zone 5 | Late August to early October |
| Zone 6 | Late August to early October |
| Zone 7 | Mid August to early October |
| Zone 8 | Mid August to early October |
| Zone 9 | Early August to early October |
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 sedum 'Frosty Morn' be planted?
16 in (40 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 18 in (45 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 18 in (45 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many sedum 'Frosty Morn' plants do I need?
At 16 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 7 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 8 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 21 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used five in one group.
Is sedum 'Frosty Morn' poisonous?
Yes: mild toxicity to people. May cause mild stomach upset if eaten.
Is there a native plant like sedum 'Frosty Morn'?
Sedum 'Frosty Morn' is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Goldenrod 'Golden Fleece': the same job in a bed, the same size and the same flowering time; yellow, not white, wants average soil.
- Blanket flower 'Mesa Yellow': the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers mid June to early October, yellow, not white.
- Sundrops: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers late May to mid July, yellow, not white.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What flowers after sedum 'Frosty Morn'?
Sedum 'Frosty Morn' is over by early October. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Japanese onion 'Ozawa': from early October to early November, 10 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink': from late September to early November, 2½ ft tall.
- Tatarian aster 'Jindai': from early October to early November, 4 ft tall.
What does sedum 'Frosty Morn' look like in winter?
Sedum 'Frosty Morn' dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.
More Hylotelephium
- October daphne Hylotelephium sieboldii
- Sedum 'Autumn Fire' Hylotelephium 'Autumn Fire'
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy' Hylotelephium 'Herbstfreude'
- Sedum 'Lidakense' Hylotelephium cauticola 'Lidakense'
- Sedum 'Matrona' Hylotelephium 'Matrona'
- Sedum 'Purple Emperor' Hylotelephium telephium 'Purple Emperor'
- Sedum 'Vera Jameson' Hylotelephium 'Vera Jameson'
- Showy stonecrop 'Brilliant' Hylotelephium spectabile 'Brilliant'
- Showy stonecrop 'Neon' Hylotelephium spectabile 'Neon'
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 18 in (45 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 16 in (40 cm) apart
- Height class
- Short (12 to 18 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Late August to early October; dense clusters; white, pink
- Leaves
- Medium texture, herbaceous; variegated, grey-green
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Lean, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Crassulaceae
Checked against VASCAN (plants of Canada). 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.