The Sedum Society

The Sedum Society is a non-profit organization that was formed in 1987. Its chief goal is to help preserve as many Sedum varieties from extinction as possible. One of the ways to realize this is through individual collections. Several varieties may exist solely in these collections due to loss of habitat in nature and various other factors.

A benefit of membership is participating in the "Seed Distribution Scheme." Members send in Sedum seed that they have collected from the wild or from their collections. The society then publishes a list of all of the available seed. Members then request seed which is sent free of charge.

Another benefit, in which I have participated many times, is the "Sedum Society Cuttings Exchange." Members of the society that want to participate send in a list of varieties that they are able to spare a few unrooted cuttings of. The society makes a list of cuttings offered and sends it out to the participants. You can request up to 10 varieties from one person. They in turn can make a request of you. I have increased my collection from about 50 varieties to about 450 varieties of Sedums and related types by participating in this exchange. Sedum cuttings can survive several weeks in the mail without roots. I have traded with people from all over the world and made some very good friends in the process.

The Sedum Society newsletter is sent out quarterly. It is produced by Lawrie Springate and Ray Stephenson in Great Britain. Articles are written by experts in the field and by members of the society who want to contribute. Articles include tales of Sedum hunting expeditions, introductions of new hybrids, new species found in nature, cultural information etc. Color photographs brighten the pages and bring far off lands a bit closer. I am proud to say that 4 of my articles and many of my color photographs have been printed in the newsletter so far. Two of the articles were of family vacations where we discovered native Sedum varieties along the way. One article was about Sedum culture at the nursery. I also wrote about dish gardens, hypertufa and planting sedums in shoes. It is quite a thrill contributing to The Sedum Society newsletter, knowing that people from around the world will be reading it.

One of the biggest advantages to me as a society member has been help in correctly identifying varieties that I have collected over the years. Ray Stephenson, author of the book Sedum: Cultivated Stonecrops and Editor of the Sedum Society newsletter, has been especially helpful in this endeavor. By emailing digital photographs and answering a few questions about a blossom or leaf tip, Ray was able to help me with my identification woes. Thanks Ray.

For more information on the Sedum Society, check out their website.

--Wayne Fagerlund