Garden Share Bristol

That's a darn big name for a sweet little sedum!  The common name, Chinese mountain stonecrop, is just as long, but not quite such a mouth full.  This low growing evergreen is fairly new to my garden; I planted it in a tough spot between the street and driveway just a few years ago.  It's flourished on neglect, crummy lean soil, and little water.

The color show is spectacular in late spring when red stems emerge from the rich green foliage and explode with bright, yellow flowers and red bracts.  The overall effect is a multi-colored WOW!

The succulent foliage hangs tough during the summer, looking fresh and green.  Don't you love those cute serrated edges?

And if you leave the flowers / bracts to ripen, you'll be rewarded in the fall with this beautiful star-like texture.

Sedum middendorffianum is hardy in USDA zones 4-8 and needs full sun to thrive.  Plant it in a well draining, infertile soil.  Mature size is 4" tall by 12-18" wide.  The plants I've chosen to partner with this sedum include Penstemon pinifolius 'Mersea Yellow', Helictotrichon sempervirens (blue oat grass), and 'Hidcote' English lavender (not shown).

Yucca, Hesperaloe, Russian sage, and blue mist spirea would also work well with this sedum.  I hope you'll give it a try!

Sedum 'Dragon's Blood'

You can keep your burning bush pink and your orangey-red Autumn Blaze maple (the "it" tree for fall color around here these days); I'll take the dark, luxurious reds of fragrant sumac, Rhus aromatica, any time.

The glossy foliage catches the low autumn light and adds depth and complexity — plus a touch of glamour — to this Rocky Mountain native.

Hands down, the best shrub for full sun, poor soils, and dry conditions when your goal is super red fall foliage.

dwarf rabbitbrush, Chrysothamnus nauseosus nauseosus

One of my favorite shrubs is in full bloom right now.  It says "fall is here!" to me like no other plant.  I profiled rabbitbrush, also known as chamisa, here a few years ago.  I'm heading out soon for a road trip through Wyoming and Montana, and I hope to see plenty of this cheery fellow along the way.

last of the hollyhocks, Alcea rosea

yellow flowering pine-leaf penstemon, Penstemon pinifolius 'Mersea Yellow'

The Denver area has been in a Stage 1 Drought  this summer due to a low winter snow pack, low spring and summer precipitation, and higher than average temperatures.  I decided it would be a good year to test the durability of my garden plantings — I wasn't interested in knocking myself out (or using potable water) to provide supplemental water to my ornamental gardens on a regular basis.  My gardens are not on an automatic irrigation system so I either use a hose-end sprinkler attachment or  hand-water with a "wand."  I usually wait until my plants are in a prolonged wilt (no nighttime recovery) for 4-10 days before I give things a good soak.  This year I've watered the gardens about 6 times, total.  They look pretty sad, and we may finally lose a beauty bush (Kolkwitsia amabilis) that has never thrived.

The good news is that many of my plants have come through quite well, flowering profusely for long periods of time.  It may be no surprise to you that they're the same plants that I always brag on - the tough guys that put on a spectacular show during the "good" rain years, and keep on truckin' during the drought years, too.

The penstemon above, and its red flowering "parent" looked terrific mid-summer for weeks on end .  These next three — the horned poppy, Russian sage, and hummingbird trumpet — are planted in a side garden that got NO supplemental water this summer. They're going like gangbusters.

horned poppy, Glaucium flavum

Zauschneria arizonica with Perovskia artiplicifolia in the background

lower growing, groundcover form:  Zauschneria garrettii

the colorful, fuzzy bracts of Russian sage

This coneflower, too, has bloomed endlessly!

prairie coneflower, Ratibida columnifera

We're coming in to prime planting season now, so if you're looking to supplement your gardens with some xeric perennials, I hope you'll consider trying one of these.

Silly Verbascum!