September Plant of the Month

The ONE plant you need in your garden in September…

After a MAD Summer, honestly who knows what will happen in September, but one thing is for sure, there’s one plant that will survive the drought and start shining now, and that’s Hylotelephium (formally known as Sedum) 💗

Whatever you call them, these are real late-season heroes:

✅ Foliage & structure from Spring, then flowers from late summer into Autumn, giving you colour just when lots of other plants are giving up and approx. 9 months of interest in total
✅ Pollinator magnets — bees, butterflies and hoverflies absolutely love them 🐝
✅ Big domed flower heads in pinks, whites, reds and dusky tones that age beautifully into russet and copper
✅ Fleshy, water-storing leaves mean they’re drought tolerant once established — ideal for hot, sunny, dry spots ☀️
✅ Brilliant in borders, gravel gardens, wildlife-friendly planting and pots (but FYI I grow them in clay soil and they are happy as Larry)
✅ Very low maintenance — leave them standing for winter structure or cut them all the way back to the base if they start to look soggy & floppy, and then new growth will appear in Spring
✅ They come back every year and are easy to divide, which means — you guessed it — more plants for free 🙌
✅ Top tip – look for compact varieties which don’t get more than about 60cm tall, as larger varieties can flop and need staking, or benefit from the Chelsea Chop to keep them looking their best.

If your September garden needs colour, structure and a bit of wildlife-friendly joy without adding a needy plant to your life, Sedum / Hylotelephium is SUCH a good shout.

As always, if you want your garden to keep giving right through Autumn but you don’t know what to plant where, email vicki@thesurreygardencoach.co.uk and we can chat about how I can help you ✨