Petrosedum sediforme 'Turquoise Tails'

The color name is not an exaggeration: Petrosedum sediforme 'Turquoise Tails' has one of the most genuinely turquoise foliage tones in the Petrosedum world — a blue-green that reads as cool and almost aquatic in good light, distinct from the silver-blue of many glaucous sedums. The stems trail and spread, with the needle-like leaves packed densely along each shoot, building up into a low, spreading mat of that unusual color. Yellow flowers appear in summer, warm against the cool foliage. It has a presence that's different from anything else in a sedum collection.

Hardy to Zone 5 and suited to PNW conditions with the standard requirements: full sun, excellent drainage, lean gritty soil. The turquoise coloration is most intense in dry conditions and full sun — a gravel garden or rocky south-facing slope will bring out the very best color. It's a natural companion to warm-orange or terra cotta tones — terracotta pots, rust-colored rocks, or bronze-leaved companions — where the blue-green and warm orange contrast has the quality of a Pacific Northwest summer sky reflected in still water. Unusual foliage color that performs as well as it looks.