Sedum, also known as stonecrop, is a popular, well-known perennial garden plant. The succulent leaves, sturdy stems and massive flower heads have earned the plant a spot on many landscapers’ “must have” lists. Besides their physical attributes, sedums are drought tolerant and can withstand many adverse growing conditions, which also makes them ideal landscape perennials. Sedum ‘Black Jack’ is sure to match the tough and easy-to-grow reputation of most sedum cultivars and offers characteristics unparalleled by other sedums.

Characteristics of Sedum : Black Jack

- The Sedum ‘Black Jack’, ‘Sedum ‘Black Jack’ PPAF, is a recent discovery at Walters Garden in Michigan.
- The stems and foliage are darker than most sedum in its family. It has 2′ tall clumps of purple stems with black to purple foliage.
- With a plant height and width of 24″, its 8″ pink flower heads bloom in September, making a wonderful contrast with its foliage.
- It makes a wonderful border plant.
- Many are attractive even in winter when their foliage dies and is left standing.
- They’re favorites of butterflies and useful bees.
- The tall types are outstanding for cutting and drying.
- The characteristic dark purple foliage will take on a lighter coloration when plants are produced at lower light levels.
- During midsummer, large, broccoli-like flower heads form, containing numerous flower buds.
- By late summer, the flower buds swell and begin to show a pink coloration. As the buds open, the color intensifies, revealing an impressive color display of bright pink, 8-inch flower clusters.

Planting Conditions for Sedum : Black jack

- Plant in full sun to part sun with other Sedum or Salvia.
- Prune in spring when new growth appears; divide plants every three or four years.
- Sweet or Sour Soil ?:
Acidic Soil (pH < 7.0)
Neutral Soil (pH = 7.0)
Alkaline Soil (pH > 7.0)
- This good-natured, easy-to-grow plant is very drought-tolerant and deer-resistant.
- For the best performance, plant ‘Black Jack’ in a well-drained media, preferably a nursery-type (bark-based) mix rather than traditional greenhouse (peat-vermiculite) media.
- Black Jack is a light to moderate feeder.
- Black Jack requires a below-average amount of irrigation.

The name Drumstick Allium aptly describes this group of onions having tall, thin stems, and tight knobs of bloom at the top, indeed looking like drumsticks. Onions in this group are primarily within Section Allium, the “type” section that defines the genus, although some onions in other sections may share the so-called “drumstick” appearance.

Characteristics of Blue Drumsticks

- The Allium ‘Blue Drumstick’, Allium, has unusual flax-blue flower heads, approximately 1 1/2″ in diameter.
- It is a low maintenance perennial, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season’s flowers.
- Blue Drumstick is resistant to deer and makes excellent cut flowers.
- It is easy to grow in any sunny, well-drained location.
- They should be planted in groups of ten or more.
- Divide mature clumps in August if areas become overcrowded.
- Blue Drumstick is ideal for containers, mass plantings, borders, and cut flowers.
- These plants are rabbit, squirrel, and deer resistant.
- The bloom period is of about 3 weeks and they bloom in late spring to early summer.

Conditions required for Blue Drumsticks to grow

- Blue drumstick should only be grown in full sunlight.
- Average to evenly moist conditions are best for its growth, but it will not tolerate standing water.
- It is not particular as to soil type or pH, and is able to handle environmental salt.
- It is highly tolerant of urban pollution.

Joe-Pye weed (Eupatorium fistulosum Barratt) is an herbaceous perennial native from Maine to Michigan, south to central Florida and Texas (USDA Hardiness Zones 3-9; AHS Heat Zones 2-10) (this information is relevant for the United States, if you have information for other countries, please provide in the comments box). Joe-Pye-Weed is a 5 to 6 foot tall perennial that grows wild. It will do equally well in a perennial border.
This plant has tall, upright purple stems and purplish foliage. The stems are adorned with fluffy pink-mauve flower heads that appear in early autumn. Dark green leaves up to 12 inches long emerge on sturdy stems below clusters of pink-purple flowers that butterflies can’t resist. Joe-Pye is perky and full of blooms when many other plants are finished and it lasts until hard frost. Place it in the back of the border or give it a corner all its own in a sunny, fertile position.
During the summer, Joe-Pye weed bears showy panicles of dusty rose to lavender flowers. Individual flowers are small (1/2 inch) but the panicles can be up to 18 inches in diameter. These plants make an unforgettable impression with their showy, flat-topped clusters of rose-purple flowers. The showy panicles attract butterflies, skippers, hummingbirds, bees and wasps.
It requires rich soil and needs to be given compost or well-rotted manure mulch in the spring. Plants need full sun to partial shade and average soil. Originally found in moist meadows, joe-pye weed wants evenly and moderately moist soil in home gardens. In favorable conditions it will naturalize and form expanding clumps of plants. Joe Pye weed needs plenty of water and will survive even in long periods of water-logging. It will survive in dry sites, and is even considered to be drought tolerant, but it never will be as robust and showy as when grown with abundant moisture.
Over all it has few needs and will grow well.
A negative feature of the Joe Pye weed is that its stalks tend to lose their leaves as the season matures and might collapse without sufficient moisture, which argues for keeping them in the back or middle of their setting where others can buck them up. The stalk can blow over without support, and makes the plant difficult to transport.
In August the flowers start to open, the clumps become a mass of color, and the sweet fragrance of the flowers becomes a great attraction for bees and butterflies.

Propagation:
Seed: Joe-Pye can be started from seed indoors 8-10 weeks prior to the last spring frost. Sow on seed starting mix, lightly covering so light can reach the seeds. Moisten the mix and place the pot or container in a plastic bag. Place the covered container in the refrigerator for 8-10 weeks, then remove it and set in a room where it’s 68-70ºF. The seed should germinate in 3-7 days. You can also direct seed in any season into the soil if you are growing it as a wildflower.
Cuttings: Stem cuttings in Spring, or divide established clumps in Spring or Fall (mulch new Fall divisions).

Weeds in the pots will have to be controlled manually.