Showy stonecrop 'Neon'
Hylotelephium spectabile 'Neon' · Crassulaceae
Large, domed heads of a vivid, electric rose-magenta on thick, pale green stems, in late summer.
- Size
- 20 in tall, 20 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 showy stonecrop 'Neon'
The planner designed this bed around showy stonecrop 'Neon' 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 showy stonecrop 'Neon' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Showy stonecrop 'Neon' × 3, pink
- 2 Cheddar pinks 'Firewitch' × 16, pink
- 3 Sea thrift × 8, white
- 4 Wild quinine × 3, white
- 5 Stiff goldenrod × 3, yellow
- 6 Blue oat grass × 1, tan
- 7 Star of Persia × 3, purple
- 8 Schubert's allium × 3, pink
Why this plant
- The only dense clusters. The others are globes, flat plates and plumes. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only medium leaves here. The rest are fine and bold. A change of leaf keeps plants distinct when nothing is in flower.
Why here
- At the back. At 20 in it is seen over Cheddar pinks 'Firewitch' (8 in) in front of it, and has nothing behind it to hide.
- A step in the back row. Next to blue oat grass (2½ ft) and stiff goldenrod (4 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 3 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 bed is balanced: the left half carries 46% of the visual weight and the right half 54%. The most in flower at one time is 5 kinds, from early June.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 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 showy stonecrop 'Neon' goes in a border
At 20 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
The brightest of the border sedums, more uniform and more upright than 'Brilliant'. Butterflies cover it. Leave the dry heads standing for winter.
- Bright colour in late summer
- Butterflies
- Winter seed heads
What to plant with showy stonecrop 'Neon'
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; low enough (10 in) to stand in front of 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.
- Aromatic aster 'October Skies': in flower together for three weeks, from mid September; happy in the same dry soil.
Questions about showy stonecrop 'Neon'
Does showy stonecrop 'Neon' need sun or shade?
Showy stonecrop 'Neon' 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. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does showy stonecrop 'Neon' 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 showy stonecrop 'Neon' 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 showy stonecrop 'Neon' be planted?
18 in (45 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 20 in (50 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 20 in (50 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many showy stonecrop 'Neon' plants do I need?
At 18 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 5 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 7 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 17 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 three in one group.
Is showy stonecrop 'Neon' 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.
Do deer eat showy stonecrop 'Neon'?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after showy stonecrop 'Neon'?
Showy stonecrop 'Neon' 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 showy stonecrop 'Neon' look like in winter?
Showy stonecrop 'Neon' dies down, but leave the stems standing: the seed heads stand through the winter, and songbirds eat the seed. Cut them down in early spring, before the new shoots come.
Is showy stonecrop 'Neon' good for bees and butterflies?
Showy stonecrop 'Neon' is visited by pollinators, butterflies and songbirds.
More Hylotelephium
- October daphne Hylotelephium sieboldii
- Sedum 'Autumn Fire' Hylotelephium 'Autumn Fire'
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy' Hylotelephium 'Herbstfreude'
- Sedum 'Frosty Morn' Hylotelephium erythrostictum 'Frosty Morn'
- 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'
In these guides
- Salt-tolerant plants for roadsides and coasts
- Rabbit-resistant plants
- Drought-tolerant perennials for full sun
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Plants that flower in fall
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 20 in (50 cm) tall, 20 in (50 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Late August to early October; dense clusters; pink
- Leaves
- Medium texture, herbaceous; 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
- Comes from
- China and Korea
- Attracts
- Pollinators, butterflies, songbirds
- Stands up to
- Rabbits, drought, salt
Checked against NC State Extension and 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.