The autumn joy sedum companion plants thrive together as they share the same growing conditions. Sedum ‘autumn joy’ is a succulent-like plant that is easy to grow. It thrives in full sun and dry soil that has good drainage.
For anyone looking for low-maintenance perennials with a long season of bloom the above plants will do you justice.
If you are wondering what plants look good with autumn joy sedum, keep reading.
Contents
List of Autumn Joy Sedum Companion Plants
1. New England Aster
New England is a perennial and herbaceous plant growing to a height of one to four feet and two to three feet wide.
– Species
This plant is a species of the Asteraceae or the aster family and is native to central and eastern North America. It has been introduced to Europe, Hispaniola, New Zealand, and Central Asia.
– Features
New England is a clump-forming plant with several erect stems growing from a single point. The lower stems are mostly unbranched and stout, while the upper stems, leaves, and flowers are covered with tiny glands on tiny stalks known as stipitate glands.
It has deep purple flowers carrying around 100 white or pink florets. These flowers bloom from August to November. They attract bees, birds, and butterflies.
2. Common Yarrow
This plant is another great companion for Sedum Autumn Joy. It is known by many other names, including a thousand seals, old man’s pepper, devil’s nettle, soldier’s woundwort, and sanguinary. It is best to use in borders or as a ground cover in meadows or prairies.
– Class
Yarrow is a flowering plant in the Asteraceae family. It is native to the temperate regions of Asia, North America, and Europe. In New Zealand and Australia, it was introduced as livestock feed.
– Features
This perennial herb has feathery leaves and can grow to 36 inches. It has white blooms that come up in late spring to early summer. It is a great pollinator plant attracting butterflies and bees. This plant spreads aggressively through rhizomes and self-seeds regularly.
3. Gold Moss
Gold moss or sedum acre is a tufted evergreen perennial and one of the best companion plants, because they do share some of the same properties, hence they can easily grow together.
– Class
Sedum acre is a perennial flowering plant in the Crassulaceae family. It is native to North America, Europe, New Zealand, and even through Japan.
– Features
This companion plant has small star-shaped leaves that grow in mounds up to 12 inches tall. For most of the year, the stems remain short and semi-prostrate, with densely populated leaves.
During flowering, the stems lengthen and grow vertically straight. It produces pink flowers in the late spring or early summer. This plant is mostly evergreen, but may lose its leaves during cold weather, because of the frost of the cold weather.
– Cautiousness
This plant is toxic to both humans and pets as it contains an acrid fluid that causes skin rashes, hence you must be mindful and cautious about this aspect of the plant when you are cultivating it in your garden.
4. Lavender
Everyone adores lavender for its multiple uses, from the oils to the special properties that is has. It is one of the most famously grown plants across America and a suitable companion plant to many.
Lavender is a herb used in culinary, as well as in ancient times it was used for healing aspects. It also makes an excellent plant for informal hedges, perennial gardens, and borders.
– Class
Lavandula is a flowering species in the Lamiaceae mint family. It is a genus of 47 known species native to the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Europe, Asia, and northern and eastern Africa, you can select the ones that would be perfect to grow in your environment and grow them next to your joy sedum.
– Features
Lavender is a small evergreen shrub that has gray-green leaves. It has purple flowers that are sparsely arranged on spikes of bare stalks blooming in the summer heat.
It has a pleasant fragrance produced by the shining oil glands embedded among the tiny star-shaped plant hairs covering the leaves, stems, and flowers. Not only that, but it has beautiful flower that would attract pollinators to your garden in the blooming seasons.
– Common Varieties
Some common types of lavender are a variety of options that you can plant next to your joy sedum, and still the plants would do so well as they are growing together:
- English lavender – It’s tolerant to cold and the best for culinary uses due to its low camphor content.
- French lavender – This variety has less aroma than English, and its leaves are more fragrant with an intoxicating rosemary-like smell.
- Spanish lavender has unusual pineapple-shaped blooms that grow from each flower spike. The flowers, on the other hand, are not fragrant, but the leaves are very aromatic.
- Lavandin – This variety has high levels of camphor content, making it inedible.
5. Purple Coneflower
Purple coneflower is a hardy perennial, that thrives in USDA zones three to ten, which is why it is great to grow next to the joy sedum. Nonetheless, also note that it is a great companion plant as it’s easy to care for, requiring little attention, and it will grow profoundly.
– Class
The purple coneflower is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants of the daisy family. It is native to eastern and all the way to central North America, where they grow freely in wooded areas and dry prairies.
– Features
This herbaceous perennial plant grows up to three to four feet tall. It is hairy all over the leaves and stems, repelling insects that come to destroy it. It has beautiful purple-pinkish flowers blooming from summer to late fall and attracting beneficial pollinators like bees, birds, and butterflies.
6. Russian Sage
Russian sage is a low-maintenance perennial shrub that has a long blooming season. It remains in bloom throughout its growing season. You can grow this plant as a ground cover for your autumn joy.
– Family
This flowering herbaceous perennial plant belongs to the Labiateae mint family and is native to the hills of central and southwestern part of Asia.
– Features
Russian sage is an attractive plant that has elongated gray-green leaves. It has square silvery-gray stems that produce a light cloud color during summer. It produces tiny purple-blue tubular flowers arranged in whorls along the stem. Not only that, but it is similar to lavender, and most people confuse these two plants.
7. Fountain Grass
Fountain grass is an ornamental grass known for its soft, fuzzy flower plumes. It gets its name from the fountain-like appearance of the leaves. They have both annual and perennial varieties ranging in size from small to large. Fountain grass is a genus of plants in the grass family. It is native to the tropical and warm temperate regions of the world.
– Growth Requirements
The fountain grass will grow so well as it is placed in the full sun, it will also thrive as it is in a well-draining soil even though it is a drought tolerant plant. In addition, this grass needs no watering during winter time, and in spring, you will see it grow its beautiful flowers again.
– Features
Fountain grass has eye-catching burgundy, purple, and variegated colors. The flowers are perfect for dried floral arrangements. You will likely find it growing in garden borders, making it an ideal companion for sedum growing there.
– Placement Ideas
The smaller varieties grow in pots, while the larger ones grow in gardens. It’s easy to grow together with autumn joy as it’s easy to care for. To make this plant stand out in your garden, use it as a background to shorter plants like sedum and allow it to display its broad foliage and flowers.
8. Black-eyed Susan
Black-eyed Susan is the state flower for Maryland state. It is one of the easiest plants to grow as it forgives neglect and tolerates drought. You must make sure that you leave adequate sedum autumn joy spacing to allow each plant to thrive.
– Class
Black-eyed Susan is a flowering plant native to central, eastern, and North America. It belongs to the Asteraceae family and grows in many places across America, China, and Canada. As it will thrive perfectly in zones three to nine.
– Features
This biennial is a moderately growing plant with stiff, and upright branches. It grows to about four feet tall along the roadsides and the banks.
Its leaves are alternate with a toothed margin. Some leaves have three or more lobes, making them outstandingly beautiful. The flowers are orange or bright yellow ray florets with a brown domed center, blooming in mid-summer.
9. Hostas
Hostas, Hosta spp, or plantain lilies are perfect for complementing sedums. They grow in shaded areas where the sedum ‘autumn joy’ plant cannot survive. Their stunning display of green foliage makes your garden so attractive. Hostas are an Asparagaceae family plant native to China, Japan, Korea, and Far East Russia.
– Growth Requirements
You must remember that these plants love to be in a well-draining soil that is fertile, make sure that it is not placed in a clay-textured soil, because excess water will damage the roots. You may add mulch to it, because the soil also has to be kept moist, however remember to water it three times per week.
– Features
Hostas are a clump-forming plant growing from rhizomatous roots. It produces blooms on long stalks extending above the clumping foliage in late spring or summer. The foliage is the main attraction of this plant.
– Different Varieties
There are different varieties of this plant that you can place as a companion of your joy sedum plant, and the would vary with their colors and even height.
- Blue mouse ears – Grows up to six to twelve inches tall and has heart-shaped blue-green leaves.
- Golden Tiara – This variety has light green leaves with yellow edging and grows to about 16 inches tall and three feet wide.
- Tardiana Halcyon – It has pale gray-blue leaves that are spade-shaped. It grows to about 24 inches tall.
- Sieboldina Frances Williams – This type has large, puckered leaves that are dark green with light green veining. It grows up to a maximum of 24 inches tall and five feet wide.
- Patriot – This variety has medium size leaves that have white margins. It is 18 inches tall.
- Sum and substance – This giant hosta grows up to 36 inches tall and five feet wide. It has large heart-shaped leaves that are glossy yellow at first, then turn to golden yellow as they mature.
- Sieboldiana Elegans – It has large blue-green, heart-shaped leaves with a corrugated texture.
10. Asters
The name of this flower originates from the ancient Greek meaning star, which refers to the flower head shape. When grown together with joy sedum, these perennials can become a permanent part of your landscape if you keep them for long.
– Class
Asters is a perennial flowering plant genus in the Asteraceae family. It has about 170 species in various colors, perfect for pairing with sedum ‘autumn joy’. It is native to North America but grows in many parts of the world.
– Features
The flowers come up in late summer and autumn, making them attractive to bees, birds, and butterflies, as pollinators would visit this plant. The flowers are daisy-like purple or blue, a favorite for most gardeners.
11. Blue Fescue
Blue fescue is another beautiful ornamental grass that looks outstanding alongside autumn joy, and scientifically it is even known as the Festuca Glauca. This fast-growing ornamental grass is a member of the Poaceae family and is a true perennial.
It is a commonly cultivated semi or evergreen herbaceous perennial grass. It is best grown on borders or separating garden beds, or you can plant it around your sedum to create a contrasting attractive border.
– Growth Requirements
To see this plant grow and thrive next to your joy sedum, you must make sure that it receives proper amount of direct and full sunlight, because if it grows in shady conditions, it will not develop in its growth. In addition, you must remember to place it in a well-draining soil that is kept moist, but not soggy with water.
– Features
It is a colorful ornamental grass displaying silver-blue foliage and pale green flowers that turn buff as they mature. You will find it growing in areas of hardiness four to eight. It grows to a height of about 12 inches.
Conclusion
The list makes your homework to find autumn joy sedum companion plants easy.
Before you make your choice, here are some essential points to remember:
- All the above plants grow in the same conditions of full sun, well-drained soils, and less watering.
- You can choose to grow the blue fescue grass or the fountain grass as they grow tall and do so well in the background of the sedum autumn.
- If you are wondering what to plant in front of autumn joy sedum, you can grow New England aster or black-eyed Susan, as they are the same height.
- You can grow all these plants directly in the garden or pots where they ideally thrive as long as you provide the right conditions.
- All these plants, except hostas, thrive under full sun, but hostas love the shade, so you need to grow them in a shaded area near the sedums.
Now that you have a list of what to plant with sedum, you can easily decide if these plants are the right ones for your garden. You don’t have to do many things to keep them happy. Plant them together with their companions, and they will all thrive with minimal work.
Resources
- https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/achillea-millefolium/
- https://calscape.org/Achillea-millefolium-(Common-Yarrow)
- https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/sedum-acre/
- https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/russian-sage-perovskia-atriplicifolia/
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