Peak Groundcover Performance

Above: Sedum spurium (aka "John Creech Sedum") flower

Ground cover plants continue to provide interest and amazement as the summer wears on. If it was not for my love of close-up images, I may have never 'seen' these flowers and appreciated them as much as I do now.

Above: Sempervivum tectorum (aka "Hens and Chicks") flower

You have to admit that even the so-common-as-to-be-boring "Hens and Chicks" produces a beautiful, complex flower.

Above: Close up of Sempervivum tectorum flower

Finally, pictured below is the flower dominating our landscape at the moment, the ubiquitous Sedum album, "Chubby Fingers".

Above: Sedum album (aka "Chubby Fingers") flower

Chubby Fingers is my personal nemesis. Due to the sheer volume of this plant found on the property, I think it is most likely to broach the perimeter of the house, and take root on our indoor welcome mat - I am sure there is enough dirt there for this tough plant to take hold. If only there were some good recipes for the stuff...

Ninety-Five Degrees? No Problem.

Above: flower from a Sedum reflexum, also known as Jenny's Stonecrop (my best guess based on internet research), showing no signs of wilt in 95 degree weather.

Our front yard includes a plethora of incredibly tough, nearly indestructible flowering ground covers - including several types of Sedum. We have so much Sedum on our property, I expect to wake up one morning to find it has invaded the house. Summer is finally here in the Puget Sound region, and July 8 brought high temps between 93-95 degrees, along with the annual drought season. Despite copious watering via hose and irrigation system, most plants in the vegetable/flower garden are wilting in the heat. As the photo above illustrates - 90-plus Fahrenheit is no problem for this Sedum flower which, along with other blooming groundcovers, provides much-needed color after the spring flowers are long gone. Good thing, because it will be a cold day in hell before I start watering the extensive front yard! Go Sedum!