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Gold Moss

Sedum sarmentosum (SEE-dum sar-men-TOH-sum)

Family: Crassulaceae Non-native Herbaceous (3-15 ft)

Stringy Stonecrop is a mat-forming perennial groundcover that has creeping bright yellow-green leaves with branches reaching a width of about 10 inches. The branches take root at the nodes so it is very easy to propagate by stem cuttings. They also propagate by leaf cutting or seed. Plant in the full sun, some partial shade is tolerated but too much shade and the plant will struggle. Well-drained soil is a must and sedums prefer sandy or rocky soil. They are drought tolerant once established but do need regular watering, just be sure to let the soil dry out between waterings. This plant can grow quite quickly and overpower young seedlings of other plants so be careful where you plant it. It roots shallowly so it is easy to pull it up where you do not want it to grow. Plant it in rock gardens, cascading over garden walls or in border fronts along walkways where its bright chartreuse color can play off of darker leaved plants in the landscape. In areas of low foot traffic or just the foot traffic of children or pets it can be used as a lawn alternative like along a driveway or between the sidewalk and the street. In areas of heavy foot traffic stepping stones can be set down and this plant will fill in the gaps nicely. It also does well in containers with a cactus or succulent potting soil. The Latin name sargemtosum means "bearing runners" or "twiggy" and is in reference to the plants spreading form. It gets its common name Graveyard Moss because people would plant it ontop of gravesites to get a quick-growing burst of cheery green color. VIDEO Created by Laura Barth for "Houseplants, Succulents, and Cacti," a plant identification course created in partnership with Longwood Gardens.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 46 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Fills a similar niche Heuchera americana Sedum SunSparkler® Group Typha latifolia

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Ground Cover; Succulent
Life cycle
Perennial
USDA zones
3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Cascading; Prostrate; Spreading
Leaf color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Whorled
Leaf shape
Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Fleshy
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Whorls of three succulent lanceolate yellow-green leaves 1 inch long and 1/4 wide.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower form
Cyme
Flower shape
Star
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Yellow star-shaped flowers appear in the summer.
Bloom time
Summer
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand
Wildlife value
Nectar from the flowers attract bees.
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Hanging Baskets; Lawn; Patio; Rock Wall; Walkways
Landscape theme
Rock Garden
Design feature
Border
Garden tags
#nectar plant summer #yellow-green #lawn alternative #border front #yellow flowers #drought tolerant #fleshy leaves #yellow leaves #cascading #chartreuse #hanging baskets #fast growing #bee friendly #container plant #buncombe county sun and shade garden #wildlife friendly #fpp
Problems & Resistance
Disease problems
Southern Blight of Herbaceous Ornamentals
Resistant to
Drought; Urban Conditions
Propagation
Leaf Cutting; Seed; Stem Cutting

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.