Once again, I’m joining in on the You Can Grow That! meme started by C.L. Fornari over at Whole Life Gardening.
You Can Grow That! is a celebration of gardens and plants and the joy they bring to our lives. My contribution this month is Sedum ternatum ‘Larinem Park‘…yes, a sedum that actually grows in the shade!
A Woodland Sedum?
Sedum ternatum ‘Larinem Park’
I love groundcover sedums but I can’t don’t grow many in my Connecticut garden since I don’t really have many areas with the hot, dry, lean soil they thrive in. I’ve tried a few in the past, Dragon’s blood sedum and Angelina sedum, but they don’t really seem to flourish.
So I was thrilled to learn about a native groundcover sedum for shade, one that prefers the woodland conditions of my garden – Sedum ternatum ‘Larinem Park’.
Getting to Know Larinem Park sedum
◊ Native to the eastern US, Sedum ternatum can be found growing in full sun to full shade and in moist to dry soil. Talk about adaptable.
Photo courtesy of AB Native Plants
◊ Only about 6″ tall, Larinem Park spreads to about 18″ wide and is covered with tiny white flowers in the spring. It’s a great nectar source for early pollinators, like bees and butterflies.
◊ The fleshy leaves of this woodland sedum grow in whorls of three around the stems, hence its common name, whorled sedum.
◊ Larinem Park is considered deer and rabbit resistant and is hardy in zones 3 – 9.
◊ Use it as a groundcover around woodland trees and shrubs, as a lawn alternative for shady, dry sites or to edge a path or walkway.
Before you rush off to check out the other You Can Grow That! posts, please take a minute to share what your favorite ground cover for shady sites is.
Pingback: A Sedum for Shade ~ Sedum ternatum ‘Larinem Park’: You Can Grow That! | Natural Soil Nutrients | Scoop.it
oh a native sedum for shade is right up my alley…I do have some non-native ones that grow along the stones of the pond and along the wall where it stays warm….will look for this one Debbie
Donna, Hopefully you won’t have any issues locating it. I thought I’d stumbled on this wonderful find but now I seem to see Larinem Park everywhere I go!
We seem to be in a sedum kind of mood this august since we have written a post as well about sedum this time on a green roof. Bridget has made me enthousiastic about growing sedum and they are so easy to take clippings off and plant even more. I planted some ordinary sedum myself and was pleasantly surprised by the tiny white flowers.
Laila, You’re so right..sedums are probably one of the easiest plants I know of to take clippings from. I had some leftover sedum ‘scraps’ from a sedum tile I had purchased and I jus grabbed them and threw them in a container. They’ve rooted in and look amazing already!
This really is a great plant. I tend to forget it’s there, and then all of the sudden, it stops me in my tracks with either the lovely patch of foliage, or the delicate blooms. It’s also one of the best groundcovers for under maple trees. I planted it under all my Japanese maples. It can handle the shade, and the dry, lean soil maples tend to create underneath them. Great choice to highlight!
Elsa, I love the idea of using Larinem Park under Japanese maples…thanks for the inspiring idea!
I don’t have a favorite ground cover for shade but I might try to find a spot for this sedum … they are such easy to grow plants and, as you know, deer don’t browse the low-growing types.
That’s about all I need – native, shade-loving, deer resistant. Anything else is just icing on the cake, IMHO.
Pingback: Garden Bloggers You Can Grow That Day – August 4 « Whole Life Gardening
What’s interesting is out here, I reserve most groundcover sedums for shade! Your selection being deer and rabbit resistant, plus native in your area, is something to strive for!
Ahh,yes, that’s not too surprising! Here in CT it’s the exact opposite. Most sedums, especially the low-growing ground cover types need full sun and dry soil. Finding one that grows and flowers in shade is something to get excited about!
My favorite groundcovers for shade include Epimedium sp., Asarum canadense, Asarum europaeum, ferns, … I guess I have a lot of favs. Thanks for this one!
Susan, Those are all great choices for shade. I love Asarum but I wish it spread more quickly.
For a ground cover, I just planted some Japanese spurge in an isolated, shady spot, off to one side of my patio, here in Lincoln, Nebraska. This is a shady, very dry spot, but it is protected from the wind. We have been in a drought for the past year, but I will water it in and then less so later on and see how it does.