• Sedum spectabile &
  • Sedum spectabile &
1 3

Sedum spectabile 'Brilliant'

Ice plant

Big flat heads of rose-pink flowers alive with bees and butterflies in late summer, then handsome winter seedheads, make Sedum 'Brilliant' an easy, drought-tolerant plant for the front of a sunny border.

Supplied as an established plant in a 3 litre pot

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Sedum spectabile &
Sedum spectabile &

Aspect

Full sun

Hardiness

Fully hardy in most parts of the UK.

Flowers

Autumn

Soil

Loam, sand, chalk

About this plant

Rose-pink plates, humming with bees

  • Description

    Sedum spectabile 'Brilliant' is a much-loved, clump-forming perennial grown for its large, flat heads of bright rose-pink, star-shaped flowers borne over fleshy, blue-green succulent foliage. Blooming from late summer into autumn, when the garden can start to fade, the nectar-rich flowerheads are a magnet for bees and butterflies, and they age gently to rust-red before drying to handsome seedheads that stand through winter. Sturdy, drought-tolerant and undemanding, it gives many months of interest at the front of a sunny border, in a gravel garden or a pot.

  • Why we like it

    “

    'Brilliant' is one of the best late-season plants there is. Its broad, flat flowerheads open bright rose-pink just as summer wanes, drawing in clouds of bees and butterflies, then fade to rust and dry to seedheads that hold their shape right through winter. The fleshy blue-green foliage looks good from spring onwards, it thrives on poor, dry soils where little else will, and it asks for almost nothing. A deservedly popular, award-worthy border stalwart.

Key features

What makes it special

Drought tolerant

Loved by bees & pollinators

Good for cutting

Fully hardy — comes back every year

Specs & details

The particulars

Botanical name
Sedum spectabile 'Brilliant'
Common name
Ice plant
Supplied as
3 litre pot
Flower colour
Pink
Eventual height
45-50cm
Eventual spread
45-50cm
Flowering period
Autumn
Habit
Upright, clump-forming perennial
Life cycle
Herbaceous perennial
Hardiness
Fully hardy in most parts of the UK.
Aspect
Full sun
Soil type
Loam, sand, chalk
Moisture
Well-drained
Position
Front of border, gravel garden, container
Plant spacing
Space around 40cm apart (approximately 6 plants per m²)
Growing skill
Easy to grow

Plant calendar

When to plant, when it performs

 
JAN
FEB
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APR
MAY
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Planting
Flowering

Plant in spring or autumn. Flowers from late summer into autumn, then stands as seedheads through winter.

Planting & care

Help it thrive

Planting guide

Plant in spring or autumn into well-drained soil in full sun. It thrives on poor, dry, sandy or gravelly ground and dislikes rich, damp soil, which makes the stems flop and the centres open out. Avoid overly fertile soil and heavy feeding. Water in well, then only as needed. Space plants around 40cm apart, ideally in groups for the best late-season effect.

Care tips

Water during dry spells in the first season to establish, after which it is very drought-tolerant. Avoid rich soil and feeding, which cause floppy growth. If plants tend to splay open, cut them back by about a third in early summer, the so-called Chelsea chop, for sturdier, more compact flowering. Leave the seedheads over winter, then cut back in early spring, and divide every few years.

Winter care

Fully hardy, needing no winter protection. Leave the faded flowerheads standing over winter, as they look beautiful in frost and shelter insects, then cut the old stems down to the base in early spring as new growth appears. A mulch helps in the coldest gardens. Lift and divide congested clumps every few years in spring to keep them vigorous and to stop the centres flopping open.