Sedum Bertram Anderson - Autumn Stonecrop

Sedum 'Bertram Anderson', also known as stonecrop, is a hardy perennial that offers a remarkable range of colours. Its foliage appears in spring with a barely glaucous blue-grey hue. During the summer season, it gradually turns pink and eventually becomes purple-violet. In the same harmony, its flowering transitions from bright pink to purple from August to September, while delighting the numerous insects that visit it. This succulent with a spreading cushion habit is perfectly suited for sunny borders as well as hanging baskets.

Stonecrops are proof that poor soil can grow beautiful specimens with subtle hues. If your soil is poor, rather dry, even stony, or even a little calcareous, you can nevertheless benefit from hardy perennials (they are resistant to temperatures below -15°C (5°F)), which do not require maintenance and promise to liven up the garden thanks to the visits of butterflies. These succulents are easy to grow and have flowers and foliage in various shades that can be used to compose dazzling displays, whether in beds, containers, or rockeries. You can still grow them if you have rich, moist, and heavy substrate. They will acclimatise without any worries if you take care to add gravel. They should not be subjected to excess humidity in winter, nor should they be covered with dead leaves (which can cause their deterioration).

The 'Bertram Anderson' variety forms a spreading tuft that reaches 40cm (16in) in width, composed of loosely arranged pink stems that are barely 20cm (8in) tall. They bear obovate, slightly fleshy, flat leaves with dentate margins, arranged alternately. This deciduous foliage has very interesting colours: grey-blue, some hints of green, pink reflections, and finally purple. These nuances vary, like most of its relatives in the same genus, depending on climatic conditions: the amount of light and water will either lighten or intensify its colours. It is therefore a constant spectacle. Its dense and almost flattened corymbs of multiple small star-shaped pink flowers are highly sought after by insects that constantly pollinate them. Their pink colour also intensifies as they bloom, harmonising with the foliage.

The unique nuances of this sedum are naturally welcome to complement the palette of pinks and reds. Among its relatives, it will integrate perfectly by adding its own personal palette to welcome autumn. It also pairs well with artemisias, Cerastium biebersteinii, and Euphorbia 'Tasmanian Tiger'. Plant it in full sun, whether in the front of a border, in a container near a patio, or along a stone staircase.