Plants And Flowers To Grow Near Sedum Ground Cover In Your Yard And Garden

Sedum (Sedum spp.) is a fantastic genus of plants for anyone creating a garden in a dry, sunny area. Not only do these succulents often make excellent ground cover and bring pollinators, birds, and beauty to your yard, but they do so while requiring little water. Because there are so many different species of sedum, you could easily make a garden with just these plants, combining low-growing ground cover species with taller, showier types of sedum. For some additional variety, other drought-tolerant and sun-loving leafy friends like lavender (Lavandula spp.), Russian sage (Salvia yangii), and purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) can make excellent sedum companions.

With all the different species of sedum available, you may want to include several different varieties of sedum or other succulents to enhance your drought friendly garden to grow alongside your shorter ground cover sedum species. Taller sedum like 'Autumn Joy' (Sedum spectabile 'Autumn Joy') can grow to around 1½ feet tall. 'Autumn Joy' is hardy in zones 3 through 8. This taller sedum works well with lower growing ground cover sedum species like 'Angelina' sedum (Sedum rupestre 'Angelina') – which thrives in zones 5 through 9 — and 'Dragon's Blood' sedum (Sedum spurium/Phedium spurius 'Dragon's Blood'), which is hardy in zones 3 through 9.

Good companion plants for sedum need to flourish in sunny locations and in dry, well-draining soil. Luckily, there are a variety of drought resistant plants that can thrive in these conditions. Lavender, the beautiful and fragrant herb, can grow wonderfully alongside sedum thanks to its love of sun and preference for relatively dry growing media. While French lavender (Lavandula stoechas) is only hardy in zones 8 and 9, growers in cooler zones can opt for English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), which thrives in zones 5 through 9.

Another fun way to add fragrance and purple flowers into your drought tolerant garden is with Russian sage. This shrub also flourishes in dry and sunny locations and is hardy in zones 5 through 9. Other salvia species are also often good options for these gardens. Adding in purple coneflower is a perfect way to include North American native plants in your drought tolerant garden. Despite the plant's name, purple coneflower is available in colors besides purple, thanks to the wide variety of cultivars on the market. Hardy in zones 3 through 8, purple coneflowers are easy to care for and thrive in the same sunny and dry conditions as sedum.