Winter Color Groundcover - Lemon Coral Sedum - Zone 5B - December 2022

I've told this story before:  All the way back in 2018, we had some Lemon Coral Sedum in one of our patio containers.  One way or another, it managed to migrate from the container to the little, square bed next to our back stoop.   And, in a surprise to me, it managed to overwinter in that spot underneath a bed of snow.  I've since left it there and it has spread out each subsequent year.  I had not - up until that point - really thought much about groundcover.  But, then I saw this bed planted out front of the entrance of the Morton Arboretum in 2020.  That inspired me to plant a mass of Lemon Coral Sedum up front in our front porch beds in 2021.  It turned out really nice and created a carpet.

With the success of the volunteer sedum in our backyard, I thought that I could replicate that growth and split up the front porch sedum and transplanted it in various spots - including IB2Dws and behind the large, Norway Maple in front.  All the while, the volunteer kept just sticking around.  Here's what the patch looked like in March of 2022 - as it was beginning to emerge from dormancy. 

The transplants that I put IB2DWs never came back.  Nor did the plants that I left in place in the front porch beds.  A small plug managed to survive behind the Norway Maple.  But, everything else - except for the first volunteer has died back.  

What does that first growth look like now?  As it heads into Winter dormancy?  See below for a photo showing how it has spread out front the stoop all the way long the front of the bed - almost filling in the full length of the box-shaped bed that is bordered by hardscapes.  It *really* is a bright pop of color, isn't it?  

One of my 2023 priorities is to re-think these beds.  The rhododendrons haven't worked out, but I've learned some things -for instance, I *do* think an evergreen is the right call here.  But, another thing that I've learned is that I'll leave this sedum in place. 

The other thing that is on my mind is thinking about using THIS patch above as the mother-plant for transplants going forward.  Taking little segments of this one that has worked - and has overwintered - and using it as plugs to provide transplants elsewhere.