Oh, how I love the hardy, sturdy survival-type perennials - sedums, lavendars and sages. Over the last 12 years I've accumulated a large assortment for a rocky slope that substitutes for a "lawn" in front of my house. That first trip to the garden center, I was entranced by a plant with thick, hardy leaves that reminded me of a cactus but wasn't, really. A common "Autumn Joy," I was delighted to see it turn pink in fall and attract so many butterflies and bees.
As winter thrashed our New England home, and plows drove up and down the street, I'd shiver inside and sometimes think "those plants outside surely cannot survive this." But in spring there were little circular arrangements peeping up out of the soil, and the sedums grew back even more vigorously! I've since then collected numerous varieties including Matrona, the royal Queen of Sedums, and various creepers and stonecrops. I can't go to a plant show without stopping near anything of the succulent family. And what can go better with them than fragrant lavendars and sages, especially Russian sage and Salvia. This photo is some trimmings of a strawberry flowered stonecrop sedum, some English Munstead lavendar prunings, and a branch of late season purple basil gone to flower. It looks like a wedding bouquet!
Sedums are also "green" plantings - they are wonderful in xeriscapes and can survive without the need of constant watering throughout the season.
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