From the Sperry Garden – October, 2007

Photo 1:This tiny sedum’s size can be compared to the pillbug at the bottom of the photo.
Photo 2: Notice the new little plants of sedum coming up in the cracks at the top of the photo.

We can grow dwarf mondograss between stepping stones if we plant it low enough and if it’s in the shade most of the day. However, what can we grow when sun is the issue? What options are out there?

You can also grow the shortest of the golf-green hybrid bermudas, then trim it with a line trimmer or hand shears to keep it in place.

However, we may have found a better solution. I bought this tiny plant for the first time about 25 years ago. It did well in my garden until shade overtook and killed it. Silly me — I didn’t start any anywhere else in my landscape and when I went back to buy more it wasn’t available. Jump ahead by 23 years — I found it again in Spring, 2006, and I almost did cartwheels when I saw it.

This is the smallest of the succulent sedums. Botanically it’s Sedum sexangulaire and it grows to only 1 to 1-1/2 inches tall. It tumbles quietly across several inches per year and the little pieces of stem take root where they break off and fall. Mine have never bloomed so seed isn’t an issue like it is with some of the more assertive sedums. I’d still recommend planting this a little low, down in the seams of the stones, so that you’re not crushing it when you walk. The main thing is that this little plant deserves much wider use in Texas landscaping and still very few nurseries offer it. I bought mine last spring and this spring at Blue Moon Gardens in Chandler (southeast of Canton — what a wonderful place). If you’re interested in it they either have it or know where to find it for you. Check with them ahead of time to be sure they have it in stock. Your own local nursery may also be able to bring it in from growers. It’s definitely worth trying. Start with a few. If they do as well for you as mine have you’ll be buying more.