Drought-Tolerant Sedum Double Martini Is a Colorful Hardy Succulent
Perfect for low-water gardens.
Double Martini sedum, or stonecrop, doesn’t bloom until late in the growing season, but it supplies plenty of earlier visual interest with its contrasting maroon stems and olive-green fleshy leaves. A lover of dry soil, this hardy succulent plant works well massed on slopes or dotted within a xeric garden or a parking strip, where its short stature is an asset.
Common name: Double Martini stonecrop
Botanical name: Hylotelephium telephium ‘TNSEDDM’
Exposure: Full sun
Flowers: From late summer through autumn, the stems are topped with rounded heads of tiny bright pink flowers. These are attractive to bees and other pollinators.
Foliage: Fleshy olive-green leaves stand out from bright red stems. The light color and density of the leaves hint at Double Martini sedum's tolerance of drought and preference for sun.
Habit: Double Martini sedum creates a low cushion to 15 inches tall and 18 inches wide. Its flowers rise to about 18 inches.
Origin: The species Hylotelephium telephium is native to eastern Europe and Asia. The cultivar Double Martini was introduced by Terra Nova Nurseries.
How to grow it: Double Martini stonecrop needs sharp drainage and a mineral soil—not one that’s high in organic matter. Along the same lines, avoid fertilizing it; sedums can put on floppy growth in too rich a setting.
For sedums, full sun helps promote the most compact growth and best flowering. Leave the spent seedheads standing for winter interest, cutting the entire plant back to the ground in early spring. Stonecrops are very drought tolerant once established. USDA Zones 4–9.
Image courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc.
