Sedum spurium Immergrunchen – Is It The Perfect Ground Cover Sedum?

A perfect sedum for hypertufa? Does it exist? Or will I be changing my mind with every new plant I find? Well, I do change my mind a lot, but this summer, I am in love with Sedum spurium Immergrunchen. I don’t have any idea what the meaning of that Immergrunchen is, but for me, it could mean “Plant me in hypertufa & I will show you what I can do.”

This little ground cover sedum grows fairly quickly and forms a tight mat of foliage which is only about 2 inches high. It is a deep green but the edges of the leaves are rimmed with red and as it get colder, the red becomes more prominent over the entire leaf. Each season I have seen it in so far, it is beautiful! Whether it is planted in a pot or on the ground, it crawls or cascades like a dream!

What more could I want for my hypertufa?

Visually, this plant looks very similar to Sedum Kamtschaticum but it is smaller and tighter growing. It resembles pachysandra too (I consider this one invasive), but is so much smaller and low growing, hence the ground cover sedum category.

What do I want in a ground cover sedum?

1. I want it to mat tightly and suppress the weeds from growing.
2. I want pretty color and interesting changes in the season.
3. I want it HARDY. Need it to be hardy in Ohio.
4. I want flowers to bloom for pollinators in my garden.
5. I don’t want a garden thug that will take over!
6. I want to be able to plant it in hypertufa pots.

Well, this plant checks all those boxes. I really think this one will be all over my garden in planters and pots.  In my Baby Succulent Farm, this was one I rooted by pinching the mother plant, and I had a well-rooted new plant ( a lot of them) in 4 weeks. I am not sure why this particular plant was not on my radar before? Where have they been hiding it?  And I need to search out more varieties that I am not familiar with.

Unlike Sedum sarmentosum (Graveyard Moss), this sedum does NOT die back in the winter. It stays pretty, matted and reddish all winter. The hypertufa pots that I have had it in over the winter look so pretty glowing in the snow. Really, how can you top that? 

This Sedum spurium Immergrunchen is great for Zones 2a to 9b. Its height is about 2-3 inches and can spread up to 12 inches. Great bang for your buck, right? It’s drought tolerant and needs to be in well-drained soil, even gritty soil works.

This sedum has very strong roots as you can see in the video. Plant it in the sun or some shade. It may grow slightly “looser” in shadier areas. It can be used on a slopes. I am planning to put some of this on my boulder hills. Should be great in that area.

Immergrunchen attracts bees and butterflies in bloom, but is deer resistant. The blooms are a bright, clear yellow and star shaped. I even think the dried blossoms are pretty, but you can deadhead after blooming.

Sedum immergrunchen is a hybrid plant, as I understand it, so if any seed forms, it probably wouldn’t be true to the parent plant. I have not been able to research any info on what is its origin plant.

Based on my love for this sedum ground cover, I think it will be covering a lot of ground here in my beds. I seems to suppress the weeds in the planters, so I am hopeful that it will do the same in the beds. So tired of pulling weeds!