Ep 145. Special Sedum and Succulent Gardens

After the last episode, Festive Partridge Berry – Terrarium Basics, Jamie asked if the sedums used in the terrarium are succulents, reminding me of a special sedum and succulent garden. 

Plus, a family story about a pallet garden featuring sedums and other things not so ideal is sure to bring a chuckle. 

 
Related Stories and Helpful Links:   
 
Sedum & Succulent Garden

 Pallet Garden & AC Screen

 Ep 144. Partridge Berry – Terrarium Basics

 Penn State Extension article - Be Safe Around Wooden Pallets!

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I'd love to hear about your garden and nature stories. And your thoughts about topics for future podcast episodes. You can email me at AskMaryStone@gmail.com. Thanks so much for tuning in.

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Mary Stone, Columnist & Garden Designer

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Welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries.

It's not only about gardens; it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about.

Thanks for tuning in, Mary Stone
Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone.com
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Transcript

Ep 145 Special Sedum and Succulent Gardens

Sat, Jan 27, 2024 1:48PM • 9:32

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

succulents, pallets, garden, plants, sedum, terrarium, fill, leaves, jim, marty, karen, bloom, porch, gravel, pottery, cart, rick, gardens, grow, brother, mary stone, garden, nature, inspiration

SPEAKERS

Mary Stone

Mary Stone  00:00

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. I'm Mary Stone, and welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights and Discoveries. It's not only about gardens; it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from Mother Nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about. 

Mary Stone  00:23

Hello there, it's Mary Stone on the screen porch, and the snow is melting. The fog has set in because the weather has warmed. There must be a tree down locally that caused a power outage, but thankfully, we have a partial generator to keep things running. I want to thank those who reached back about last week's chat Festive Partridge Berry- Terrarium Basics. I hope you'll delve into the dirt and make a terrarium to enjoy over winter and maybe stick a troll doll in it. It's a perfect remedy if you suffer from the winter blues. 

Mary Stone  00:58

I received an email from Jamie asking if the sedums used in the terrarium are succulents, reminding me of a story about a special sedum and succulent garden and a family story about a pallet garden featuring sedums and other things not so ideal. I look forward to sharing -  sure to bring a chuckle, and it starts like this. 

Mary Stone  01:19

Hello, fellow listeners and readers. Earlier this summer, I had the privilege of helping the Rimi's of Washington, New Jersey choose a few plants for their already beautiful gardens. What a unique property. There's a small building, a spring house in its day, charmingly serving as a backdrop off their back patio. Behind it, a gravel area I thought was a work in progress sedum and succulent garden. Creeping Jenny, a perennial also known as money wart, the ambitious chartreuse trailing plant with rounded leaves, is the mainstay scrambling about the gravel. As it turns out, there once was a small patio on the spot, Jim said, explaining the remnant gravel. But my work-in-progress sedum and succulent garden assumption inspired an idea.

Mary Stone  02:04

 When we met at a garden center to pick up the fill-in flowering shrubs, sedums made their way into Jim and Karen's cart. Sedum Munstead Dark Red, a newer variety that looks much like the tried-and-true pink flowering upright Autumn Joy but with irresistible dark raspberry-colored flowers, was the first to land in the cart. Both grow 12 to 24 inches and bloom from late August to October. When dry through winter, the flowers remain a feature, especially when adorned with frost and snowflakes. 

Mary Stone  02:37

Then there's Sedum' Lime Zinger'— a six-inch variety with lime green foliage and reddish edges that forms a stunning compact matte before flowering pink in late summer to mid-fall. Next came Sedum spurium 'Fuldaglut' or 'Fulda Glow' with bronzy-green leaves that sport a swath of dainty pink flowers in summer that pollinators love. Come fall, the foliage shifts to beautiful burgundy. 

Mary Stone  03:01

And Wheels of Fire Ice plant, a cactus-succulent ground cover per the plant tag with yellow and orange blooms from summer to fall, was also smuggled into the cart. The list of the lovelies within links for more information is in the blog post, which will be in the show notes for you to enjoy. 

Mary Stone  03:19

So what is the difference between sedums and succulents? 

Mary Stone  03:22

Sedum is a genus of plants, and succulents are not. Succulent is an adjective to describe many types of plants with thick fleshy parts (roots, stems, or leaves) that store water for dry spells. While cacti are succulents, not all succulents are cacti. Sedums are succulents ranging from ground cover to one to two feet tall. They are easy keepers. And most are relatively deer-resistant. Sedums must be in well-drained soil, not clay, or they will quickly rot. While most are sun-loving, some can take a bit of shade. 

Mary Stone  03:57

There were many other finds that ended up in Karen and Jim's cart. What's a sedum garden without a few magical hens and chicks? You're likely familiar with the succulent, which has mama rosettes, the hens,  beside them smaller rosettes, the chicks, which spread two feet or more. Their vegetation is often green, blueish gold, copper, or a combination of colors. Sometimes, they bloom a rather silly, stalky flower. They really are very cute, and they love to fill in the nooks and crannies in a rock garden. 

Mary Stone  04:28

I couldn't wait to see all the new plants dug into their new home. That day came when I visited to purchase a gift for my design colleague and dear friend Marty Carson celebrating a milestone birthday. She doesn't like to talk much about her birthday, but let's just say Marty is in the age of infinity. And she looks amazing and plays tennis, you know, four times a week. She's an amazing gal and a dear friend. And I met Karen and Jim Remi at the garden show she and I used to exhibit in. Much of their art is influenced by nature - pressing of plants in their artful pottery.

Mary Stone  05:04

After purchasing Marty's gift, a mug, a sandwich plate of a garden scene with a sentiment - Good things take time you're growing- I toured their gardens the highlight the new sedum garden. What a magnificent collection amongst a stream of river stones creatively placed by their grandson Dom, who was six years old at the time. It warmed my heart to see the mix of plants and artifacts of pottery and poetry. A combination of seed and garden and a fairy garden filled with delights. Garden Dilemmas, ask MaryStone.com. 

Mary Stone  05:39

I'm going to fast forward about four years because, since that post, Jim and Karen started a new chapter in their life. And Emma, their daughter, has been doing the pottery and I know that Jim and Karen are still doing their art in a different way. Life has its seasons. 

Mary Stone  05:55

Speaking of sedums, we have a little time to share bits of the family story, posted after my brother Rick's first son's wedding over six years ago. Before the trip, we chatted about his pallet solution to screen the air conditioning unit, which is only a few feet away from his seating area filled with herbs and succulents. It helps buffer the noise to Rick touted. I replied: I wrote about vertical gardening a while back, and I'm sure dear brother, you know it's best not to grow things you eat in pallets. Uh oh,  Rick didn't recall the column. 

Mary Stone  06:26

Pallets are often treated with toxic chemicals to prevent the transport of invasive insects and plant diseases, as the International Plant Protection Convention requires. However, companies are starting to use heat treatments rather than chemicals, which overcomes some of the worry of reusing them. Pallets require an IP PC logo. With its initials, heat treated H T, or fumigated with methyl bromide MB and include the initials of the country where made. 

Mary Stone  06:55

I couldn't wait to see the living space behind their condo, which is cute as a button and functional, too. I congratulated his ingenuity as he described how he pieced the pallets together so that no posts were needed, allowing for a section to be removed should the AC need to be serviced. In addition, he left a six-inch gap at ground level to allow airflow--Leave it to an engineer to think of such things. His clever pallet screening is stained grey to match their wooden table and adorned with comical face sculptures hidden behind various succulents and herbs. Impressive, my brother! A perfect way to solve the in-your-face AC dilemma. 

Mary Stone  07:33

There was a spare pallet leaning near the grill with no logo indicating nasty chemicals or heat treated. But even if heat treated my brother, it's best not to grow plants you eat on pallets because no one knows if something toxic spilled on it, where it warehoused, or how it transported. Like mom used to drill into us, you know, don't put that in your mouth. You never know where it's been. Did your mom say that to you, too? 

Mary Stone  07:58

I wanted to mention that one of the fastest ways to kill succulents is with too much TLC. How do I know this? Because I have a habit of doing this. And that is if you water them too much. One of the tips I've learned is to look for shrinking or puckering leaves or normally shiny leaves that appear dull. And that's typically when it's time to water those succulents. Or use the water meter, which is totally the safe way to go.

Mary Stone  08:23

 It kind of makes me think of all of us when you go through stresses in your life. You know, you feel a little dehydrated, and you need to rejuvenate. I'm going through some things right now. And maybe I'll share some of them with you next time. But sitting with you every week fills my soul with such happiness because I just ... I don't know. I feel like what we're doing together helps heal and grow our lives, which I so appreciate, and I hope you're having some fun, too. And I hope you've subscribed to the podcast so that it magically appears in your feed so that more can join us and learn and grow in the garden of life. Thanks so much. See you next time on the screen porch. 

Mary Stone  09:02

You can follow Garden Dilemmas on Facebook or online at Garden Dilemmas.com and on Instagram at hashtag Mary Elaine Stone. Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries is produced by Alex Bartling. Thanks for coming by. I look forward to chatting again from my screen porch. And always remember to embrace the unexpected in this garden of life. Have a great day.