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Gaps in the middle of Sedums

• Message 1. 

  Posted by marcia (U2338697) on Tuesday, 28th July 2009

  I've got a few clumps of these dotted about the garden and each year they flower well and get good colour. All of them get to a decent height and then they develop a gap in the centre of each clump.
  
  Is it my imagination or did one of the presenters on GW give a tip recently on how to prevent this from happening? I'm sure it's too late for this flowering but can anyone recall seeing this tip and pass it on please.
  
  I think I may have dozed off during the programme ..
  
  
  
  

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• Message 2

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  Posted by darren p (U8518743) on Tuesday, 28th July 2009

  well
  you can support them , to stop the flop
  or give them a chop during may... cut them down by a half and that way they should remain compact

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  Posted by jo4eyes (U13654107) on Tuesday, 28th July 2009

  GW has the sleep effect on me too. That's why I always record it & often go to sleep at the same point when playing it back!
  Seriously, it's worth doing 'the Chelsea chop' on your Sedums, at about the time of Chelsea (late May).
  You cut the plants back by about a third in height, just above a leaf node. The plant then grows more compact & is less inclined to 'flop' open. I find then that staking isn't always needed either. I also dont feed them too much in early Spring as that makes lusher/softer growth which is more likely to 'flop'.
  You can adopt this technique on quite a few herbacious plants to delay flowering times & produce more compact plants that often then dont need staking. Ok this year I missed a bit of a tall campanula but it still looks ok with the shorter bit. J.

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  Posted by marcia (U2338697) on Tuesday, 28th July 2009

  Thanks jo4eyes. That was it, the Chelsea chop!
  
  Thank you also for the tip about not over feeding them: herbaceous plants in general. I shall try and not be so generous with my plants in future cos some do look a bit over indulged. (One of my neighbours is sure I give my plants chocolate gateau and the finest French wines).
  
  I don't really like having to stake plants and tying them up, I can never get them to look natural enough and end up with a forest of bamboo canes which detract from the plants I think.
  
  That's why I always record it & often go to sleep at the same point when playing it back! 
  
  Me too. (Not only GW to be fair .. most things I sit down to watch!)
  
  Many thanks for your helpful response.
  
  
  
  
  

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• Message 5

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  Posted by welshcol (U2301689) on Wednesday, 29th July 2009

  I think this is a normal sedum syndrome and to avoid the problem, not totally however, place a stout support on the non viewing side of the sedum and encircle with some stout string. As the season and growth progresses slowly raise the height and tightness of the "girdle" and keeps the plant reasonably compact and of course gives support to the brittle sedum stems. You will lose a few lateral stems as you "heave in" but do not worry about it. Lovely show August> October at a height of 2.5>3ft. Hope this helps.
  Don't forget some slug pellets in the middle before tightening up unless your vegetarian!!.

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  Posted by crouchee (U13371975) on Wednesday, 29th July 2009

  I split mine every other January to clumps of no more than 15 shoots apiece.When you think how wide a head emerges from so tight a clump of shoots, it's no wonder they have nowhere to go but sideways.
  
  I did try Chelsea chopping them, but I would rather have well spaced well fed huge flat heads to contrast with the fluffy disorder of much of the rest of the garden in autumn.

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• Message 7

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  Posted by poshHebeJeebie (U9319867) on Wednesday, 29th July 2009

  They can get top-heavy and flop. In the spring/early summer, place an up-turned wire hanging basket over the clump. The stems will find their way through the gaps, and the support will be hidden by the foliage as the plant grows. A tip from the late, great Geoff Hamilton many years ago.

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