Sedum Sea Urchin

Where Do I Grow Sedum “Sea Urchin?”

What do you do when you get conflicting information on a plant?

This is  Sedum “Sea Urchin” that I have planted in an inside planter sometimes for the winter. My problem is that it did not do well inside the basement. It  dried up and the longer trailing branches long since dried up. In short, it looked nasty!

But when I try to look it up, I am getting conflicting information. What are the zones it can grow in? Will it survive winter here in Ohio? It is a very pretty and fast growing plant, I would love to have it growing outside and cascading over the side a one of my large garden planters. ….the hypertufa planters, that is. I am always looking for new and interesting succulents and sedum

But when I looked this plant up in the spring of 2014, I found information indicating  it would not survive freezing temperatures.

Which Zone Is Plant- Sedum Sea Urchin

For example, on one website the USDA zone is given as 7a-11 ( http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/58017/) and another with the same opinion lists it at zone 8a-11 ).  But it is listed as a bit more cold tolerant on _http://www.ballseed.com/Growers/plant_info.aspx?phid=056600001004984  .

Whatever!

So which do you believe?

Do you leave it outside in  Ohio winter zone 6? I have kept this one sheltered inside for winter, but it stays outside in a planter all summer. But now it is not doing well, so I plan to  put it outside this next summer again,  tend it well,  then just leave it outside for next winter.

Sedum Sea Urchin Spring

This is what my plant looked like in the Spring. I had a small bit of it and nursed it through the winter inside. It seemed to do really well. I am sure it is the variegated variety since it clearly has the white rim to its leaves. That isn’t so obvious in the other photos but it is still there.

I will risk it and keep this one outside for the winter of 2015. Hopefully, if I let it grown thickly and keep it fed and watered (sparingly), I will have a strong plant to survive the winter. I think I may make a deep and large hypertufa planter to plant this in.

Update:  I planted this in the Rock Garden at the Community Center. In the open and with deer grazing, it survived the winter of 2015.

How do you feel about the difficulty in knowing who or what to believe? I think you just have to experiment yourself and that is why I will plant mine outside and see if it survives at my house. That is the only way I will know.

And we won’t get into those plants that are incorrectly labeled, right?

That is a whole other RANT!

Plant Tag includes zone info

I will know in the spring if my Erodium reichardii will come back. I will be so sad if it does not. I purchased it locally with the tag showing it hardy in my zone 6, but I have heard from an expert here on my Facebook page that it will not tolerate frost. I was hoping for an herbaceous plant that would come back in the spring! I hold a bit of hope that it will, but I want that plant so badly, I will just get another one and start another inside pot for it if I must.  Update: The plant died over the winter, and for the next winter, I brought it inside.  And I have brought more each spring. I love it that much!

Erodium-hypertufa-gardener

Wish me luck. Have you had any of these types of experiences? What was the result? Did your plant survive?

2 Comments

  1. Sandra Lankford says:

    I would divide plant and grow some outside and keep some inside. That way you don’t end up with nothing.

    1. I will try that. Some has survived over our winter here in the Rock Garden in Ohio.

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