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Sedum 'Postman's Pride' PP16,831 (Purple Autumn Stonecrop) - This selection of Sedum is perennial, growing to 18 to 24 inches tall with a semi-upright compact habit with very deep blue purple ovate leaves crowded in an opposite arrangement. In late summer and fall it produces a short stout inflorescence of flower buds the same color as the foliage that open to pink tinged purple in late summer and early fall and ages as it dries to a darker burgundy color.
Plant in full sun to light shade in average to lean well-drained soils (rich soils tend to force weak growth) and irrigate occasionally to very little. This is a very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures to -20 F (USDA Zone 4). It has been noted by some gardeners as being resistant to foraging rabbits and an attractive plant to butterflies and birds. The fresh flowers and dried seedhead are useful and attractive in cut flower arrangements.
Though a story is told of this plant's discovery by a Belgian Postman in his own garden, the US Patent Application actually states that this plant was the result of the hybrid cross between Sedum telephium subsp. telephium 'Lynda et Rodney' (now technically a cultivar of Hylotelephium) and the award-winning Sedum 'Purple Emperor' from a controlled breeding program conducted by Jose de Buck in Bassevelde, Belgium in 1999. Mr. de Buck is a postman by profession and hence the name 'Postman's Pride' or 'Postmans Pride' (not possessive ) as was used in the filing for the US patent, issued on July 18, 2006.
Our plants came from Ball Horticulture tagged as Sedum 'Postman's Pride' and so we list it this way and note the other spelling as a synonym. The patent application further notes that this plant was selected from the resulting seedlings as it exhibited distinctly darker blue purple to brown foliage compared to either its parents or other Sedum cultivars - its color is more of a blue purple compared to the red purple of Sedum 'Purple Emperor'. It also does not fall apart as is sometimes observed in other Sedum cultivars and remains dark, even when grown in some shade. We grew this plant from 2007 until 2009.
The information about Sedum 'Postman's Pride' PP16,831 that is displayed on this web page is based on research conducted in our nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We will also include observations made about this plant as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens that we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We also incorporate comments that we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they share cultural information that aids others growing this plant.
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