How to Make a Sedum Garden

Draw up a plan of the sedum garden, noting each variety's placement. Consider each variety's width and height, as some spread over 14 inches. Select an area for the garden that has well-drained soil and receives full sun to partial shade. Planning before planting allows you to know the garden's size, plants required and the placement of each.

Dig out grass from the sedum bed using a shovel. Cut large grass sections into smaller squares, making its removal easier. Rake out any grass remnants and rake the garden soil level.

Spray rocky or weed infested areas with a grass-killing herbicide. Pull the weeds out using your hands, if the infestation is not too bad. Killing unwanted vegetation with an herbicide in rocky areas is easier than hand pulling.

Dig a hole that is as deep as the nursery pot. Plant the sedum in the hole and backfill with soil. Press down around the plant with your hands to firm the soil around it.

Add balance to the garden by planting taller sedum varieties in the background. Use taller species such as Sedum spectabile, Sedum X "Autumn Joy" or Sedum spectabile "Brilliant." Planting taller species of sedum in the garden adds a height of approximately 2 feet.

Plant the shorter, creeping varieties of sedum in front of taller species, adding a tiered flow. Use creeping and shorter species such as Sedum "Rose Carpet," Sedum spurium "John Creech" or Sedum album.

Mix sedums with various flower colors together to add an Easter basket effect. Use plants such as pink-blooming Sedum album "Murale," yellow-blooming Sedum stenopetalum and white-blooming Sedum album.

Add a variety of sedums to the garden that have different leaf shapes and textures. Consider varieties such as Sedum reflexum, with long, thin leaves, Sedum spurium "John Creech," with rosette-like foliage, or Sedum kamtschaticum, with serrated foliage.

Plant creeping sedum cultivars in and around rocks in the garden to soften its appearance. Use varieties such as Sedum spurium "Fuldaglut" or Sedum sexanglulare. Plant the sedum in holes or crevices deep enough to cover the shallow roots.

Water the sedum plants once to twice weekly for the first 4 weeks. Continue irrigating with water every week to 2 weeks, as established plants are highly drought-tolerant.