Hybrid stonecrop 'Autumn Charm'

Sedum

How to grow Hybrid stonecrop 'Autumn Charm'

  • Full Sun

  • Low

The thick, fleshy, succulent-like foliage is well suited to cope with summer temperatures and short periods of drought. With new plants, water regularly until established, put down a good moisture retaining and weed suppressing mulch,
A tough, easy grower that only needs ordinary, well-drained soil to flourish. About the only condition it doesn’t like is wet, stodgy places where the roots are saturated.

To promote sturdy, bushy growth and more flower stems, it is recommended trimming back the growth by half in early summer – when the shoots are about 8-10 inches. The clumps will quickly replenish and produce lots of fresh new growth that will be extra colorful and lead to more flowers. There is also no harm in tidying up the clumps occasionally by trimming them more frequently. You will delay the flowering by a week or so, but on the plus side, you will get extra bushy growth, more foliage color, and intensify all its “charm”. 1

Try to plant in a location that enjoys full sun and remember to apply water fairly sparingly. Keep in mind when planting that Autumn Charm is thought of as very hardy, so this plant will tend to survive through freezing conditions.

Growing Autumn Charm from seed

Transplanting Autumn Charm

Ensure that temperatures are mild and all chance of frost has passed before planting out, as Autumn Charm is a very hardy plant.

Harvesting Autumn Charm

Hybrid stonecrop Autumn Charm Etymology

Brent Horvath, owner of Intrinsic Perennial Gardens, Inc. (Hebron, Illinois) discovered this variegated sport on a batch of Sedum “Autumn Joy” (aka ‘Herbstfreude’) in 1997. He filed for a plant patent in 2001, naming it Sedum ‘Lajos’ (pronounced "Lai’-osh), a trade name that honors his late father, Lajos Geza Horvath. Lajos is a worthy name for it commemorates a hard working, highly respected, and much loved Hungarian American who escaped from his native country after the uprising and revolution in 1956. He made his way to the US in 1959 and eventually founded a landscaping business, the nursery, and other horticultural businesses. Over the years, Lajos brought untold pleasure and joy to countless customers and friends. He loved growing and teaching people about perennials. While it is fitting that this fine variety bears his father’s name, Brent also knew that it would be hard for gardeners to pronounce, so he set about finding an alternative name for his star plant. He wanted to have something that had the word “Autumn” in it, maintaining the connection to its outstanding parent ‘Autumn Joy’. When a friend suggested “Autumn Charm” during a trip they were making to Egypt, he knew immediately that this was the name that should be registered. 1

Footnotes