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.

telephium (Hylotelephium telephium). This is one of the really large, stocky garden stonecrops, now represented by many fairly similar selections. It clumps rather profusely at the base, making many-stemmed colonies. The seasonal stems are up to 2' tall, and stout. Each is closely lined by broad, scallop-edged, light green to grey-green leaves, up to 3" long. Dense, broad flower clusters tip the stems in late summer and fall (or most of the summer, near the coast). The flowers are colored various shades of pink and red. ‘Autumn Joy’ is one of the hybrids of this species, with salmon pink flowers which continue to deepen in color as they age, finally adopting an attractive rusty hue. It requires ample water but is hardy to 0^oF or below.