Last summer I tore out the heavy shrub and volunteer lilies from the planter in front of the house, but hadn't known exactly what I wanted to replace them with. I knew I wanted improved sight lines when backing out of the garage, so I was leaning towards a center tree with some low ground cover. Trouble with ground cover is that it's usually so boring - a mound of monolithic ivy being my particular peeve. I also knew I'd often be remiss on watering, as I spend far more time in the backyard area, and that the temperatures at that south facing planter could get brutal. All of these factors pointed me towards succulents, and I opted for a mix of sedum, to get the extra benefit of being a test bed for potential Green Roof materials.
Planted in the early spring, just before a stretch of unseasonably cold and wet weather hit the Bay Area, the sedum was slow to spread. I mused, fussed and fidgeted - added sand into the soil, respacing and reorganizing the species. Finally, warmer weather rolled in, and the sedum finally 'took'. Now, the mix of blue-green interspersed with tinges of pink-edge are filling into a beautiful quilt about 4" tall, and teasing me with myriad blooms set to flower, any day!
