Nancy Norris
Common name: Watch chain stonecrop
Latin name: Sedum sexangulare
Plant type: groundcover
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9
Cultural needs: full sun, average to dry soil with good drainage
Plant size: 6-10″
Latin name: Sedum sexangulare
Plant type: groundcover
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9
Cultural needs: full sun, average to dry soil with good drainage
Plant size: 6-10″
Often used on green roofs for a quick covering, watch chain stonecrop is both dainty and rugged. Like most stonecrops of the genus, sedum, this one withstands drought, repels deer and rabbits, and supplies a beautiful field of tiny yellow flowers atop the stems mid-summer. Even the green jellybean foliage often burnishes to rose and copper colors if given plenty of sun. Those jellybean leaves are packed with water, making it easy to propagate by stem cuttings. They’re so easy, one can grab some plants, crumble them to make many bits, and then scatter the succulents like seeds on well-drained soil; keep the soil moist until they grow roots and thereafter let dry between watering. In the railroad, allow for their wandering nature by giving them space. Contain them between stones on the mountain or pavers for paths. When they get in between the ties, kill the migrants with white vinegar sprayed or sprinkled between the rails. The species name, S. sexangulare means six-sided stonecrop, one more common name for it. Another nearly identical succulent named watch-chain plant is the Zone 9-10 Crassula muscosa pseudolycopodiodes, slightly taller, whose tinier flowers are born along the stems instead of at the apex.
