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.