SEDUM. Cold and temperate regions, mostly Northern Hemisphere. A huge group, mostly of herbaceous perennials, highly variable in several respects. An alarming number of the cultivated species are reassigned to other genera in recent taxonomic schemes; I think I will wait a while, to see how things shake out. Many of these plants are quite showy, though the flowers are often secondary to the foliage as ornamental features. Both stems and leaves are typically succulent. Flowers are small, star shaped, and borne in head-like to spoke-like clusters. Depending on size and habit, they can be used for ground cover, borders, planter boxes and other containers, or the rock garden. Most thrive in sun or light shade, most soils, moderate to occasional watering when established. The following are hardy to 10^oF or below.

spathulifolium. A matting native, often encountered on rock cliffs and shady banks. Its small, flattened leaves are packed into flat rosettes, from which spoke-like clusters of yellow flowers appear in summer. ‘Cape Blanco’ is the most widely circulated cultivar. It makes broad, dense mats with bright grey leaves. ‘Purpureum’ is another particularly compact selection, its leaves heavily tinged with purple, deepening in winter. Both are best in part shade, except near the coast.