Sedum moranense

If you want a plant that looks like it was designed specifically to live on a sun-baked Mexican cliff face and occasionally charm PNW gardeners who appreciate vibrant colors in the dead of winter, Sedum moranense delivers exactly that. The spiraling leaves are tight, sculptural clusters that are primarily green but blush to brilliant purple-maroon at the tips in full sun — the kind of coloration that looks almost artificial in its intensity but is entirely the plant doing its thing naturally. White flowers appear and are pleasant, but the foliage is the real show.

It's a great candidate for mixed container plantings with other colored sedum varieties or silver leafed lavender. The red-tipped leaves hold their color best in full sun. For PNW gardeners who want to push their plant collection into interesting territory, this one rewards the effort.