January at Longwood Gardens Lets start with the fact that I am a lazy gardener. So when I find a perennial that is easy to care for, grows well in containers, and looks good all year in my zone 6 garden, it gets my attention Sedum Angelina is a garden asset with year long interest. In summer, the low-growing succulent forms spreading mats of yellow-green foliage,and clusters of yellow star-shaped flowers. But it is in winter that Angelina really shines, when those same fleshy leaves turn an incredible, golden orange, with shades of red. The colors are so intense, the ground appears to be on fire. This plant is especially appreciated when everything else is dead or dormant. There are not too many perennial that look this good in the winter All the Sedum are fairly easy to grow. They thrive in full sun, and tolerate dry, poor soils. Hardy from zones 3 to 9, they tolerate Pennsylvania winters with no problem. Unlike the taller Sedums, pruning is not really required with Angelina, unless you need to cleanup some dead leaves; no other maintenance is needed. Angelina is well-suited for containers, rock gardens, and in the front of sunny borders. The trailing plants will cascade over walls or the edges of containers or spread on the ground or just spread through your beds. Angelina Growing in a Hypertufa Container with Dwarf Conifers Sedum Angelia (left front) has been growing for at least 3 years in this container, with only occasional watering and a little fertilizer. That is a "low maintenance" plant. Any container that has well drained soil will work. Next time you you are selecting plants for a hanging basket consider this sun loving perennial.
