"A Delightful Succulent"
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| Scientific Name: | Hylotelephium H. Ohba. cultivar Autumn Joy |
| Common Name: | Autumn Joy |
| Plant Family: | Crassulaceae |
Those who are looking for something different and unusual should consider Hylotelephium cultivar Autumn Joy. The foliage and flowers can provide a distinctive display throughout the year. The name of 'Autumn Joy' suggests the time of the year when the plant is putting on its best show. Flowering commences in late summer with bright pink flowers that change through autumn to a bronze colour. These flowers are an attractive nectar source for bees and considered useful for drying. The succulent stems and foliage for most of the year are usually a blue-green giving an individual display without the flowers.
Hylotelephium cultivar Autumn Joy is located in the Formal Garden. Others plants worth looking out for in the same garden bed are Canna, Dahlia and Alstroemeria all in flower.
This cultivar is a hybrid between the species Hylotelephium telephium and Hylotelephium spectabile. Both these species are good display plants in their own right. The name Hylotelephium is probably quite a hard name to say and remember in comparison to its initial name of Sedum. Prior to the name change there were about 28 sedums grouped in the Sedum genus as a separate section known as telephium. This group was considered to have different characters in the flowers and foliage and therefore warranted a new genus name Hylotelephium.
'Autumn Joy' can be useful as part of a flower border, however, this delightful succulent perhaps looks at its best in a rock garden where the stems can drape over the rocks. Placed in full sun and in soils that retain some moisture through the summer months will ensure a complete display from this unusual and showy plant.
Keith Naylor
Records Officer