Angelina sedum (rupestre) in acidic soil

Hi all,
A lurker coming out of hiding...LOL.

Has anyone had luck growing Angelina sedum in acidic soil? It seems to prefer alkaline to neutral. Such a beauty but wondering if it will grow in my clay, acidic conditions?

Sheri

Hi Sheri-
I have Angelina in my hideous acidic clay, likely similar to yours, deposited by glaciers, with rocks. . Angelina here grows great where I have it, spreads fast, I pull it out by the handful to control it. In fact one might call it invasive, it hops across paths and goes on adventures (I did not plant it by the daylilies or iris in the photos below).
Things that might be different here- all of mine are on a slope, so although it is hard clay, there is never ever standing water. Also I rarely water it. Like really rarely. Two summers ago due to a remodel, I did not water for months in a very hot summer. Angelina was fine. Also there is just a bit of shade in this spot, but not much.
How about some photos of your spot? Maybe we can figure this out together.
I just ran outside and took these photos with the iPhone. The tulips are just for fun, have nothing to do this Angelina.

Hi Pistil,
Thanks for the visuals! I don't have a specific spot in mind just yet. I just have seen some lovely combinations in books and on the web and wondered how it would do here. I have a new garden in front to populate and also an alley garden that is sadly neglected and needs renovation. Out there might be the best spot as the soil is a little more gravelly. It's part sun - do you think that would be okay?

Front bed is more sunny, but is a richer soil and will probably get watered more. I appreciate your feedback.
Sheri

Hi Sheri!

Keep us posted with your results! It's always good to hear details of what grows here in the Pacific Northwest!

I suspect Angelina will grow like crazy at your house in either location because I have seen Pistil's Angelina grow so enthusiastically in her acidic clay soil. My hunch is that it will do fine in either sun or part shade but I would not try it in full shade.

I agree, try both spots.

Oh one thing more- the photos show it turning a lovely orangish color, but mostly mine is just yellowish, as shown in my photos, so if your garden plan is putting it there because it is orange, it might not do that. I don't know why, maybe it needs more heat in summer.

Thanks ladies. I'm anxious to get back to my large new front yard planting bed...but right now I'm in the midst of lawn chores (yuck!). I want a nice green lawn but hate the maintenance and hubby is no help because he thinks no care = now mowing. But all that happens is the weeds take over.

The whole reason for this planting bed is I bark mulched (over cardboard) a whole section next to our property line to keep the creeping buttercup from taking over the lawn.

So now I'm digging out the ones that escaped the edges, overseeding and top dressing. What a drag! LOL. Poor me. Plus we have the dreaded chafer beetles/grubs to contend with.

Soon I will be back to my bed and asking for your input on how to populate it. It's a NW one so a mix of deep shade, partial shade and full sun. So far I've plopped in some things moved from other areas of the yard - hosta, spirea, astible, a jack frost brunnera, some centaurea montana and some tulips I had growing in a pot. There's blueberries there, too, that I planted last year.

I also bought a new baby 'Genie' magnolia and some lovely dark pink heather for the sunny end. But there are still many blank spots to fill. The bed is anchored by a gorgeous blue mophead hydrangea bush that was here when we moved in 10 years ago. I think it must be 30+ years old now and is getting a little woody and bedraggled but I can't bear to get rid of it as it still puts on an amazing show every year -- even blooms on new wood!

I'll post some pics for your feedback once the dreaded lawn chores are done. : )

Sheri

This message was edited Apr 8, 2016 10:09 AM

Oh and there's an old rhodendron stick there, too. LOL. I call it a stick as I asked DH to prune off a dead branch for me last year and he took the wrong one. So now I have a seven foot tall stick with one bloom this year. LOL. Oh well, it will come back eventually. I massacred a pink one on the other side of the yard two years ago that was taking over and it is back bigger than ever now!

Oh this sounds like so much fun, and the hard work of it is almost over and the fun part (choosing/buying/planting plants is going to start. I did the cardboard/mulch thing a few years ago. Ugh. But the results were worth it.
I just looked up 'Genie" and I LOVE the dark pink color.
It sounds like in spring this is a pink-themed garden, then in summer Blue?
The only advice I have for right now is that at my local nurseries, the Hellebores are on sale, You might pick up a few.
For blue in spring summer, aside from the 'Jack Frost', I have some Lithodora 'White Star' that I really like, it climbs up into nearby shrubs, blooms a long time. It does a better for me than Grace Ward, but is really different kind of plant.

It just started blooming this week, here is the beginning. Because of the white, the flowers are quite noticeable.

Your lithidora is so pretty! Mine is just starting to bloom (grace ward). This is the first year it has started tree climbing. It's growing up into a red tips honeysuckle bush. Started from a tiny plant 4 yrs ago in my neglected alley garden and has spread wonderfully.

Here's a better photo. (argh it's posting sideways and I can't delete it to fix) Figuring out pics still on here. : ) I will start a new thread with some photos of my new front yard bed.


This message was edited Apr 8, 2016 4:52 PM

This message was edited Apr 8, 2016 4:53 PM

It seems to post sideways when I had turned the camera 90 degrees to take the photo. Somehow the computer and camera are smart enough to keep them correct, but in DG they revert.
I have found that if you manipulate it even the tiniest bit, like "crop" it 1%, then save it the new way in your computer, it posts correctly on DG. This is one of the reasons I like the "Preview" function and generally look at my post before I truly post it-then I can fix any sideways photos.
p.s. your lithodora looks nice. Here it occasionally . Do you cut yours back?

Pistil, no I have not cut this lithidora back yet. It is an area I don't have to...yet. I have a couple of tiny starts in my sunnier new bed putting out some new leaves. Not sure how it will do as my primo specimen is in part shade. We shall see. I know it can get a bit ratty and woody looking sometimes. I'll look for your variety when I hit the nursery. : )

OK, now I've gotta try Lithodora! As a newly minted zone 8 gardener (was zone 6), that Lithodora looks beautiful and mighty tempting. 8zoner, you said you have clay...is the Lithodora in the clay?

Actually, the alley garden where my lithidora is not as heavy a clay as in front. I made a lasagna bed there with yard scraps a couple of years before planting so it's probably in a bit lighter soil. But truly, I have found lithidora to do quite well in many spots as long as you give it some organic matter. I just rake dead leaves and such into the soil below the woody stems and it seems to do great (the foliage spreads and hides the scraps). It's very neglected for most of the year. I rarely water out there.

Thanks! I will try it.