White stonecrop

Sun

Full sun is best; tolerates light partial shade, but growth becomes looser and flowering may decline.

Water

Low once established. Water new plants during dry spells, then water only during prolonged drought or when container soil has dried out.

Soil

Sharply drained sandy, gravelly or rocky soil; tolerates poor soil and a broad range of soil pH. Avoid wet clay and rich, moisture-retentive compost.

Height

0.25-0.5 ft (0.08-0.15 m), including flowers

Spread

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m), eventually wider where stems can root

Flowers

Early to midsummer; clusters of small, star-shaped white flowers, sometimes flushed pale pink.

Foliage

Evergreen. Small, rounded to cylindrical succulent leaves, usually green but often turning bronze or red in strong sun, drought or cold weather.

Growth

Moderate to fast in sunny, well-drained conditions

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Drought tolerant
• Cold hardy
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   0.4 ft (0.12 m)

   full size

About 5 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

In the garden

Spreads vigorously: plan to contain it.

Growth rate

Fast

• Water after planting and during dry spells until rooted; avoid keeping established mats constantly moist.
• Use a shallow container with drainage holes and a gritty succulent mix.
• Skip routine feeding; rich soil and heavy feeding encourage soft, loose growth.
• Use a thin gravel mulch rather than moisture-holding bark around the stems.
• Lift rooted pieces from spreading edges to fill gaps or keep the mat within bounds.

Pruning. After flowering, snip off spent flower stalks if you want a tidier mat. Trim spreading edges in spring or summer, removing unwanted rooted pieces as well as the stems.

Spring

Plant in a sunny, sharply drained position once the soil is workable.

Late spring

Divide established mats or press short stem cuttings into gritty soil.

Summer

Water new plants during dry spells; check containers and water only after the mix dries.

Late summer

Remove faded flower stalks and trim any growth spreading beyond its allotted space.

Autumn

Clear fallen leaves from the mat so they do not trap moisture.

Winter

Keep drainage holes clear and protect containers from standing water; avoid watering frozen soil.

• Plant between rocks or along sunny retaining-wall edges, where its low mats soften hard surfaces.
• Use as a groundcover among small drought-tolerant perennials in gravel gardens.
• Combine with houseleeks and other hardy stonecrops in shallow troughs for contrasting leaf shapes.
• Use on a suitably designed extensive green roof, where shallow rooting and drought tolerance are useful.

Garden styles it suits: Alpine rock garden, Dry gravel garden, Desert / xeriscape, Low-maintenance, Pollinator garden and Small-space.

Plant it with: Houseleeks, Creeping thyme, Rock rose, Sea thrift, Maiden pinks and Blue fescue.

Wildlife: The flowers provide nectar and pollen for bees, hoverflies and other small insects.

• Root and stem rot in wet soil: improve drainage, reduce watering and replant healthy pieces in a raised or gravelly site.
• Loose, sparse growth in shade: move to a sunnier position and avoid heavy feeding.
• Vine weevil larvae in containers: inspect roots of declining plants and use an appropriate locally approved biological control.
• Unwanted spread: pull out rooted stems at the edges and remove discarded fragments rather than leaving them on soil.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses. No part is generally regarded as poisonous, but it is not a food plant, and eating substantial amounts may cause digestive upset.

Where it spreads. Can spread aggressively in thin, dry soils by rooting stems and seed. It is introduced and naturalized in parts of the northeastern United States, the Great Lakes region and southern Canada; keep it out of nearby natural rock outcrops and other sensitive habitats.

• Biting stonecrop (Sedum acre)

  Has yellow flowers and short, pointed, tightly overlapping leaves rather than white flowers and rounded, cylindrical leaves.

• Tasteless stonecrop (Sedum sexangulare)

  Has yellow flowers and narrow leaves arranged in six conspicuous spiral rows around the stems.

• Broad-leaved stonecrop (Sedum dasyphyllum)

  Also has pale flowers, but its leaves are shorter, plumper and usually blue-grey, often arranged in opposite pairs.

The species name album is Latin for white, referring to the flowers.

Propagation. Divide rooted mats in spring or early summer. Alternatively, take short nonflowering stem cuttings, let the cut ends dry briefly, then press them into gritty compost and water sparingly until rooted.

Accepted botanical name

Sedum album

In the US and Canada

Introduced in Canada and the lower 48 states.

Native range

Albania, Algeria, Austria, Baleares, Belgium, Bulgaria, Corse, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Finland, France and Germany.

Measured

Soil pH 6.5 to 7. Average height 12 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.