Three for Thursday, as suggested by Cindy, at From My Corner of Katy, is a meme of three things, any three things. This week's offering is a plant evaluation/comparison. Results herein may not be typical and are valid as applied only to Squirrelhaven. Adapt the conclusions at your own risk.
Hylotelephium/Sedum 'Black Jack' burst on the horticultural scene as the best thing since pay at the pump, with its large, dark purple foliage. Experience in my garden revealed that 'Black Jack' couldn't live up to the billing, as its leaves left much to be desired. I love the look of the dark foliage, so I determined to find a replacement.
After several years, the search is finally over. I have three dark-foliaged Sedums, all growing in a container as was 'Black Jack.' And the contestants are:
'Purple Emperor' - I planted this last year. Nice, but the foliage isn't quite dark enough, which caused me to resume my search this spring, when I brought home contestant #2
'Xenox' appeared to be the perfect replacement. So perfect that I put it in the patio container where 'Black Jack' used to reside. While the part shown above looks fine, the plant as a whole is a big disappointment. It looks half dead, with limp stems leading to the attractive ends. It's possible it got squirrel-damaged, but I don't think that's the whole story. It needs further evaluation.
Which leaves us with the winner:
'African Sunset,' looks to have the goods. It has very dark foliage, which has held up well, and good flowers. The only drawback as a substitute for 'Black Jack' is that it isn't as upright, but then neither are 'Purple Emperor' or 'Xenox.'
At this point, my search takes a lacuna until I stumble across an upright dark foliaged Sedum that I just have to try.
Do you grow a good, dark foliaged Sedum?