With a range squarely centered in the Central Hardwood Forest, Sedum ternatum (Woodland Stonecrop) is one of the most common native Sedums. While most sedums are plants of sunny spaces, Sedum ternatum stands out as a forest plant, preferring moist, rich woodland soils.
Sedum ternatum grows naturally in shaded ravines and stream banks, typically preferring sloping sites in the wild. Though it is quite drought tolerant, Sedum ternatum is more often found in moist, well-drained sites – In our area, it’s typically found in ravines and coves with some stony material; good examples of native populations can be found in Shades and Turkey Run State Parks in West-Central Indiana.
Woodland Stonecrop Uses
Woodland stonecrop is one of the easiest to grow native plants, and I use it in our own garden as a “green mulch” plant. Drought tolerant, fast growing and easy to propagate, it is one of the species I use the most in our garden. It also blooms in early-mid Spring, providing a good boost of pollen and nectar for early season pollinators.
Gardening and Landscape Uses
Because it is easy to grow, fast-growing and easy to propagate, woodland stonecrop is especially useful as a “filler” in shady gardens. Even though it is fast-growing, it is in no way aggressive or invasive – Woodland stonecrop’s shallow, fleshy roots make it easy to remove from areas where it has spread too far or make way for taller woodland perennials.
Plant Woodland Stonecrop as a living mulch under woodland shrubs, at edges of garden beds, and between taller perennials – Woodland stonecrop is also excellent for spring ephemeral wildflower plantings, as the evergreen leaves of woodland stonecrop persist in the garden long after the ephemerals have gone dormant.
Wildlife Gardening Uses
Woodland stonecrop is an excellent plant to include in your plantings if you are gardening for the benefit of wildlife – The low, thick foliage is good for providing a hiding place for forest invertebrates, which in turn become food for woodland songbirds.
Woodland stonecrop blooms in the mid-Spring slot, blooming for several weeks after the main flush of spring ephemeral wildflowers. It is visited by several native solitary nesting bees and is a good plant to include in your garden to support native bee conservation.
Woodland stonecrop isn’t typically bothered by herbivores – Rabbits will occasionally nip new growth but they don’t seem to target this species like they do some others! Our garden is overrun with rabbits, but the woodland stonecrop plantings are never bothered.
How to Grow Woodland Stonecrop
Woodland stonecrop is probably one of the easiest native wildflowers to grow! All it requires is soil with a little moisture and shade from the sun in the hottest part of the day. Planting Woodland Stonecrop as plugs, planted 9 inches apart, will give the quickest results for a solid groundcover. To save money you can bump that up to 12 inches apart, but you’ll have to pay attention to weeding the first season.
One of the nicest things about woodland stonecrop is that it is extremely easy to start from cuttings – you can pinch a sprig off, cover it with a little soil, and it’ll root! Because of this, I use it to fil in bare areas in woodland gardens. I often find woodland stonecrop sprouting away from where I originally planted it as a result of sprigs breaking off when raking and working in the garden.
PCG Species Scorecard | |
| Supports Native Pollinators | Yes |
| Hosts Caterpillars | No |
| Produces Seeds or Berries for Birds | No |
| Self-Sustains Populations | Yes |
| Well-Behaved in Garden Settings | Yes |