Other Names:  Autumn Stonecrop, Showy Stonecrop

Description:

A stunningly attractive perennial for hot, dry locations, featuring succulent bluish-green foliage and dark purple stems all season long, with showy pink flowers in late summer; a compact variety of stonecrop that also boasts excellent fall color

Ornamental Features

Vera Jameson Stonecrop has masses of beautiful clusters of rose flowers at the ends of the stems from late summer to late fall, which emerge from distinctive coral-pink flower buds, and which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its attractive succulent round leaves are bluish-green in color. As an added bonus, the foliage turns a gorgeous burgundy in the fall. The deep purple stems are very colorful and add to the overall interest of the plant.

Landscape Attributes

Vera Jameson Stonecrop is a dense herbaceous perennial with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It is a good choice for attracting bees and butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Vera Jameson Stonecrop is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Vera Jameson Stonecrop will grow to be only 6 inches tall at maturity extending to 10 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 15 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 12 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 15 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in poor soils, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Vera Jameson Stonecrop is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers and foliage against which the larger thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.