Stonecrop (Hylotelephium 'Carl')

Overview

Hylotelephium ‘Carl’, commonly known as Stonecrop, is a highly valued herbaceous perennial celebrated for its late-season color and exceptional toughness. This variety provides essential late-season interest in the garden, thriving where other plants may struggle. Its clump-forming habit and distinctive gray-green foliage make it attractive long before the blooms appear.

This Stonecrop excels in performance due to its low care requirements and drought tolerance once established. It prefers lean, well-drained soils and full sunlight to maintain a tight, upright form. The abundant pink flowers in autumn are a magnet for late-season pollinators, adding vital ecological value to your landscape design.

Growing Hylotelephium ‘Carl’ offers reliable texture and color contrast against earlier summer bloomers. Whether used as a border or groundcover, this Stonecrop provides consistent structure, fulfilling the need for robust, beautiful, and easy-to-manage perennial plantings throughout USDA Zones 4 through 9.

Fast Facts

• Plant Family: Crassulaceae
• Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
• Hardiness Zones: USDA Zones 4-9
• Size at Maturity:
  • Height: 1-1.5 ft
  • Spread: 1-1.5 ft
• Bloom Time: September to October
• Bloom Description: Pink
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Water Needs: Dry to medium
• Maintenance Level: Low

How to Grow

Plant Hylotelephium ‘Carl’ in the spring or fall, ensuring it is situated where it receives ample full sun. The soil is critical for success; this Stonecrop requires average, dry to medium, well-drained conditions. It especially thrives in sandy or gravelly soils that have moderate to low fertility. Avoid overly rich garden soils and areas where water pools, as poor drainage encourages rot.

Water sparingly once the plants are established, as Hylotelephium ‘Carl’ is highly drought tolerant. Fertilization is generally unnecessary; rich soil tends to encourage weak, floppy growth, particularly in taller hybrids. If you desire a more compact habit, you can pinch back the stems in late spring. This practice forces the plant to branch out, resulting in thicker, bushier stems better able to support the heavy flower heads.

Propagation of Hylotelephium ‘Carl’ is straightforward and effective. Divide established clumps carefully in the spring or take stem cuttings during the summer months. Amazingly, even detached leaves placed on the soil surface can often root to form new plants, making division last longer than expected.

Landscape Uses

Stonecrop varieties, including Hylotelephium ‘Carl’, are fundamentally designed for environments where resilience matters. They are perfect additions to rock gardens and dry slopes due to their tolerance for shallow and rocky soils. For border fronts, their manageable 1 to 1.5-foot height ensures they do not obscure smaller plants.

Mass planting of Hylotelephium ‘Carl’ creates a stunning tapestry of texture and color as the pink flowers mature in the autumn months. Consider using them as specimen plants in groupings or placing them in containers where soil drainage can be precisely controlled. The succulent foliage provides year-round structure.

When selecting companions, pair this variety with other low-maintenance, sun-loving perennials that share similar dry soil preferences, such as ornamental grasses, lavender, or coreopsis. This combination ensures cohesive care needs while providing continuous seasonal interest well into the fall.

Standout Features

Flower Qualities

• Showy

Noteworthy Characteristics

Hylotelephium is a genus of about 33 species of drought-tolerant herbaceous perennials native to Asia, Europe, and North America; they are commonly called stonecrop and are excellent plants for fall gardens. The specific cultivar ‘Carl’ is a clump-forming perennial featuring gray-green foliage and masses of tiny, star-like, pink flowers clustered in flattened heads blooming typically from September into October. These fleshy, rounded leaves remain attractive throughout the entire growing season, and the overall structure is quite attractive to butterflies.

Tolerances

• Drought
• Clay Soil
• Dry Soil
• Shallow-Rocky Soil

Potential Problems

While generally robust, Hylotelephium ‘Carl’ can occasionally face pest challenges, including slugs, scale, mealybugs, aphids, and weevils. Rotting out remains the most serious threat, usually caused by planting in overly wet or poorly drained soil conditions. Management involves ensuring excellent drainage and confirming plants are sited in full sun, as insufficient light exacerbates flopping tendencies in taller Sedum types.

Taller stonecrop varieties are notoriously susceptible to flopping under the weight of their blooms, especially after rain. To combat this structural weakness, ensure Hylotelephium ‘Carl’ is planted in lean, non-rich soils and receives maximum sun exposure. Applying a spring pinch to the stems will encourage side branching, leading to thicker, stronger stems that resist collapse.

Frequently Asked Questions

What hardiness zones is Stonecrop suitable for?

Hylotelephium ‘Carl’ performs reliably in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 through 9.

How large does Hylotelephium ‘Carl’ grow?

This perennial typically reaches a height between 1 and 1.5 feet, with a similar spread of 1 to 1.5 feet at maturity.

What sun exposure does Hylotelephium ‘Carl’ need?

This variety requires full sun exposure to develop strong, non-floppy stems and abundant flower production.

When does Stonecrop bloom?

Hylotelephium ‘Carl’ provides its display of pink flowers during the late season, blooming reliably from September to October.

Conclusion

Hylotelephium ‘Carl’ Stonecrop provides exceptional value through its drought tolerance, architectural foliage, and vibrant late-season pink flowers. Its ability to thrive in leaner, drier soils makes it a reliable backbone plant for many garden styles. Review your site conditions to ensure full sun and excellent drainage, and then plant this superb perennial for dependable autumn color.

Propagation Tips

Propagating Hylotelephium ‘Carl’ is simple, often yielding numerous new plants with minimal effort. The most reliable method is division, best performed in the spring when new growth is evident. Carefully dig up mature clumps and gently separate the rooted sections before replanting them immediately at the desired location.

Stem cuttings offer another excellent propagation pathway during the summer months. Select healthy, non-flowering stems, snip off sections about 3-4 inches long, and remove the lower leaves. Allow these cuttings to dry for a day or two until the cut end callouses before inserting them into a gritty, well-draining potting medium.

An added benefit of the succulent nature of this Stonecrop is its capability to root from individual leaves. Simply detach a fleshy leaf and lay it horizontally on dry, light soil in a bright location. With patience, tiny new rosettes will emerge from the base of the leaf, proving how resilient Hylotelephium ‘Carl’ truly is.

Companion Planting

Due to the specific need for full sun and excellent drainage, companion plants for Hylotelephium ‘Carl’ should share similar arid-tolerant preferences. Pair its late-season pink blooms with the silvery foliage and fragrant spikes of Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) for textural contrast. These plants thrive in the same dry soil conditions, minimizing maintenance needs for both.

Consider using low-growing, mat-forming succulents or creeping alpines near the front of the border to complement the structure of the 1.5-foot tall Stonecrop. Plants like creeping Thyme or certain low Sedum varieties echo the rock garden aesthetic while filling any bare soil the Hylotelephium ‘Carl’ may leave during early summer.

For a strong color pairing in the late season, combine the pink flowers with the golden hues of certain Coneflowers (Echinacea) or the deep purple of Astranntia. This creates a mid-to-late season focal point that remains attractive until frost, leveraging the toughness of this excellent Crassulaceae family member.