Siebold's Stonecrop; Nat. Ord. Crassulaceæ.
This is a capital species. It is perfectly hardy, though not generally known to be so. It is more often seen under glass, and is certainly a pretty pot plant.
Its stems are 12in. or less in length, slender and procumbent. The leaves, which are rather larger than a shilling, fleshy, cupped, and glaucous, are curiously arranged on the stems, somewhat reflexed, and otherwise twisted at their axils, presenting a flattened but pleasing appearance. The small flowers, which are bright rose, are borne in clusters, and remain two or three weeks in perfection.
It is a fine subject for rockwork, and, moreover, likes such dry situations as only rockwork affords. It should be so planted that its graceful stems can fall over the stones. There is a variety of this species, with creamy foliage, but it is less vigorous; neither are the flowers so fine in colour. Slugs are fond of these, and sometimes they will eat off nearly every leaf. A sprinkling of sharp sand once a week keeps them off, but trapping them with hollowed turnips is a more effective remedy. Propagated by cuttings pricked into sand in summer, or division of roots when the tops have died down.
Flowering period, August and September.
Sedum Spectabile.
Showy Stonecrop; Nat. Ord. Crassulaceæ.
Hardy and herbaceous. This is one of our finest autumn bloomers. During September, the broad massive heads of small rosy flowers, which are arranged in cymes 6in. across, are very attractive, and will, with average weather, keep in good form for a month. This species is somewhat mixed up with another called S. Fabarium; by many they are said to be identical, but such is not the case. I grow them side by side, and I may say that they are as "like as two peas" up to midsummer, when they begin to diverge. S. Fabarium continues to grow to the height, or rather length, of 2ft., and tumbles over; the foliage has a lax appearance, and the flowers are very pale. Concurrently S. spectabile has grown its stems and glaucous leaves to stouter proportions, and crowned them with more massive heads of bright rose-coloured flowers, at the height of 15in. It is larger in all its parts, with the exception of length of stem, and by September it is nearly twice the size of S. Fabarium; it also stands erect, so that then the two species suggest a contrast rather than a comparison, S. spectabile being by far the more desirable.
I find, however, that it is much slower in increasing itself; the best way to propagate it is by cuttings dibbled into sand in early summer. The commoner one increases rapidly and often bears the wrong name; care should therefore be taken to obtain the true species, after which it will not give much further trouble, thriving in any kind of soil, but it should be planted in the full sunshine, when its habit and flowers will be greatly improved. It will bear any amount of drought—indeed, it seems to enjoy it. My finest clump is on a very dry part of rockwork, where it has always flowered well. These two Stonecrops and a variegated variety are some of the very few hardy plants which slugs do not graze; at any rate, it is so with me; neither do other pests attack them, but the humble bees literally cover their flowers the whole day long at times.