september's sedum

I don't think I would have suggested a mass planting of 'Autumn Joy' Sedum in this spot at Sarah Duke Gardens.I would be too afraid that someone would walk through the fleshy stalks and succulent stems on a shortcut to the duck pond. But that hasn't happened in the two or three summers since this bed was planted. And it looks killer.

 It also helps that the staff and/or interns made an attractive edging from spliced bamboo. Sometimes just a  suggested barrier is good enough to keep people on the right paths.

I've noticed that this variety of sedum (although easy to break with a shoe or a frisbee) is a strong spreader in most gardens. It also blooms in some shade. I've planted mine under a limbed-up wax myrtle tree that sits close to where my 70lb dog  likes to stick her nose through the perennial border. But even with canine curiousity nudging around its edges, my clump of 'Autumn Joy' sedum has grown large enough that I think I can rest easy.