May through early June is prime time to cut back your Autumn Joy Sedum! I know, I know, your yard is most likely the closest it will be all year to the picture of perfection and the thought of chopping down your beautiful sedum brings a look of horror to your face …but hear me out.
If you take the time to chop your sedum now it won’t become top heavy over the summer, resulting in flopping sedum bloom heads come fall.
I learned this trick years ago from listening to Garden guru Cisco Morris on the radio. He once told a story about how after he mentioned this technique on his radio show and the next day he was out in his garden when a person driving by brought their car to a screeching halt, rolled down the window and shouted out to him “Hey are you sure about chopping down my Autumn Joy right now?” A bit taken aback he replied “Well, yes”. At which the person uttered a, still not so sure “Ok” rolled up the window and drove off.
This story still cracks me up when I think about it! It really captures the weirdness and obsession us gardeners can have when it comes to our beloved plants. I can still remember my own struggles with thinning and pruning plants that I worked so hard to plant and grow. It often seems cruel, until you start to understand the very real benefits that come with proper thinning and pruning. So with that being said…
How to butcher… er, I mean cut back, your Autumn Joy:
- Pick a day in mid May to early June.
- Using a pair of shearers or a gloved hand (I recommend the glove only to save you from surprise slugs and snails). Chop ALL the stems down about halfway. If you miss a stem your Sedum mound won’t have a nice rounded look come fall.
- Discard the stems. You have a few options here:
a.You can stuff them back under the plant as mulch.
b.Toss them in your compost or
c. If you need more plants for yourself or a friend, place them in water to root. They send out roots fairly easily and I’ve always had pretty good success with propagation.
In a couple of weeks you will have new shoots growing around the stems you cut off.
So there you have it, one of the easiest pruning chores you will have all year! In fact go do it now and I promise you will feel extremely accomplished.
I also made a quick video… you know just in case you were second guessing the process and thought it seemed way too easy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiRvDFw-3gQ