Students for Stewardship The Cork Board
← Back to the library

Birthday Party Sedum

Sedum (SEE-dum)

Family: Crassulaceae Non-native Herbaceous (1-3 ft)

Stonecrop 'Birthday Party' has a compact habit and large flower heads up to 5 inches wide. It can be grown as a houseplant, ground cover, or interiorscape or landscape. When grown outdoors, site it in an area where it will get full sun to part sun. They are easy to grow indoors with bright direct light from a window or grow light. Use a coarse, well-drained soil, preferably a cactus mix. The plant tolerates rocky and poor soils well, establishes itself quickly, and is cold tolerant. Sedum 'Birthday Party' are also deer and rabbit hardy. The succulent leaves make them drought and dry soil tolerant. They can be damaged by deer. Sedums withstand only light foot traffic. The leaves tend to fall off easily; however, the fallen leaves can be used to propagate new plants. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: Slugs and snails. Avoid wet or poorly drained conditions. Taller sedum species with large flower heads are susceptible to flopping. Site in full sun and pinch back in spring to force thicker stems. VIDEO Created by Laura Barth for "Houseplants, Succulents, and Cacti," a plant identification course created in partnership with Longwood Gardens. More information on Sedum .

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 59 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft) Optimal soil pH Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Fills a similar niche Hylotelephium 'Matrona' Sedum Sedum 'Touchdown Teak'

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Ground Cover; Herbaceous Perennial; Houseplant; Perennial; Succulent
Life cycle
Perennial
USDA zones
4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry | Very Dry
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 0 ft. 7 in. - 1 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Spreading
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen; Deciduous
Leaf color
Green; Red/Burgundy
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Linear
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Fleshy
Leaf value
Long-lasting; Showy
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Glossy green foliage with a burgundy edge that grows darker over the season.
Flower color
Pink
Flower value
Good Cut; Showy
Flower form
Cyme
Flower shape
Star
Flower size
3-6 inches
Flower detail
Deep rose-pink blossoms up to 5 inches wide with petals that initially are pale but darken over the season. Flowers begin as dense clusters, but over time, produce small pink star-shaped flowers.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Fruit follicular, membranous or leathery, often surrounded by a persistent membranous corolla, opening on the adaxial side, Seeds mostly minute, usually with fleshy endosperm.
Stem detail
One foot tall stems topped by flower buds resembling broccoli.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
East Asia
Distribution
Europe, Turkey, Northern Africa, North America
Wildlife value
Bees enjoy the nectar. Birds enjoy the seeds.
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies
Play value
Attractive Flowers; Attracts Pollinators; Colorful
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Leaves; Flowers; Stems
Fruit type
Capsule

Edibility

The stems and leaves can be eaten raw when very young and tender. Later, until they flower, they may be eaten after briefly cooking. Not poisonous, but when eaten in quantity, can cause stomach upset.

Landscape Use
Landscape location
Container; Hanging Baskets; Houseplants; Slope/Bank; Walkways
Landscape theme
Butterfly Garden; Children's Garden; Drought Tolerant Garden; Pollinator Garden
Design feature
Border; Small groups
Garden tags
#herbaceous perennial #succulent #green roof #dry soils tolerant #evergreen #hanging baskets #deciduous #well-drained soil #easy to grow #full sun tolerant #colorful #heat tolerant #houseplant #children's garden #low maintenance #groundcover #drought tolerant #fall interest #perennial #wildlife friendly #container plant #poor soil tolerant
Problems & Resistance
Disease problems
Southern Blight of Herbaceous Ornamentals
Resistant to
Deer; Drought; Dry Soil; Heat; Poor Soil
Propagation
Leaf Cutting; Seed; Stem Cutting

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.