Sedum 'Black Knight'

Deeply on-trend with its dark sultry colours, Sedum 'Black Knight' creates a gorgeous and long-lasting impression. This knight in shining armour will come to the rescue of any flagging late summer gardens! Its aubergine-purple, almost black fleshy leaves with their metallic sheen are a huge asset all through the growing season, and contrast dramatically with the reddish-pink flowers. When these generous blooms arrive in late summer, they emerge from pink stems to form domed clusters of starry flowers in a lovely mix of magenta and rose-pink. This stunning stonecrop doesn’t get too big either, staying bushy and compact, and is also armour- clad with great disease resistance. As with all Sedum, 'Black Knight' provides feast for pollinators. Late in the season, bees really need and appreciate stocking up on that valuable food source to help see them through winter.

Sedum, now known as Hylotelephium, are typically tough as old boots, and Sedum 'Black Knight' is no exception. These resilient border plants have superb resistance to drought, often growing in poor, rocky soils. Supplied a bare roots, it’s a good idea to give them a soft start to begin with in small temporary pots before going out into more challenging conditions. Once settled, they’ll thrive in hot, dry sites, where the soil is free draining, and once they’re established they’ll look after themselves. As an element in the garden, they give a lot: beautiful leaf texture that contrasts well with other plants, pollinator-friendly and dramatic flowers, and then great winter structure if these are left on the plant to form decorative seedheads. The colours of Sedum 'Black Knight' are an added bonus, creating gorgeous contrasts with silver-leaved plants as well as other late-summer plants, such as Rudbeckia and Echinacea. You can also grow this strong and compact variety in patio containers and gravel gardens.