Stonecrop (Sedum 'Chocolate Drop')

Overview

Sedum ‘Chocolate Drop’ is a highly valued herbaceous perennial known for its striking, nearly year-round visual appeal. This Stonecrop variety captivates gardeners with its distinctly dark, chocolate brown foliage that provides fantastic contrast against traditional greens and seasonal blooms. It belongs to the resilient Sedum genus, making it an exceptionally easy-to-grow addition to many garden settings.

This mounding Stonecrop offers practicality alongside beauty, being tough, drought tolerant, and requiring minimal effort once established. Its succulent nature helps it thrive where other perennials may struggle, particularly in hot, dry exposures common in rock gardens or border fronts. The summer display of contrasting rose-pink flowers further elevates Sedum ‘Chocolate Drop’ as a staple for low-maintenance perennial beds.

Both the attractive foliage and the summer flower clusters ensure that Sedum ‘Chocolate Drop’ provides multi-season interest. Gardeners appreciate its compact, non-aggressive spreading habit, which keeps borders neat while still offering solid ground coverage in rocky or gravelly soils.

Fast Facts

• Plant Family: Crassulaceae
• Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
• Hardiness Zones: USDA Zones 4-8
• Size at Maturity:
  • Height: 0.5-1 ft
  • Spread: 0.75-1.5 ft
• Bloom Time: July to August
• Bloom Description: Rose-pink
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Water Needs: Dry to medium
• Maintenance Level: Low

How to Grow

Plant Sedum ‘Chocolate Drop’ during the spring or fall when temperatures are moderate, ensuring it settles well before extreme heat or cold. The key to success for this Stonecrop is excellent soil drainage; they perform best in average, sandy, or gravelly soils that do not retain excessive moisture. While full sun promotes the best foliage color and tight habit, Sedum ‘Chocolate Drop’ tolerates a bit of light shade, though too much shade can lead to floppier growth.

Once established, watering needs are minimal, requiring only dry to medium moisture levels. Avoid overwatering entirely, as this is the fastest way to encourage rot, especially in poorly drained conditions. Fertilizing is rarely necessary; overly rich soils promote weak, leggy stems that struggle to support the foliage and flowers.

Maintenance is low for this perennial. In spring, you can lightly pinch back young stems to encourage a denser, bushier habit, which helps reduce susceptibility to flopping later in the season. No significant winter preparation is usually required; the dormant foliage often provides winter structure until early clean-up in spring.

Landscape Uses

Sedum ‘Chocolate Drop’ excels as an edging plant, providing rich color along border fronts where its low, spreading habit won’t obscure neighboring plants. It is perfectly suited for rock gardens, thriving among stones and gravel where drainage is naturally superior. For a substantial visual impact, mass planting or grouping several of these Stonecrops together creates an effective, continuous carpet of dark foliage.

Because it handles drought and heat well, consider using Sedum ‘Chocolate Drop’ in challenging, hot placements near pavement or retaining walls. Its compact size also makes it an excellent choice for containers, often serving as a durable spiller or filler alongside summer annuals, maintaining interest even when other plants fade.

Standout Features

Flower Qualities

• Showy

Noteworthy Characteristics

Sedum is a genus of about 400 species found mainly in the mountainous areas of North America but some also in dry area of South America. Most are succulent. They are tough, drought tolerant, easy-to-grow perennials that feature star-shaped flowers in clusters blooming on fleshy-leaved plants ranging from mat-forming ground covers to clump-forming upright mounds. ‘Chocolate Drop’ is a mounding stonecrop that typically grows to 12” tall and spreads to 20” wide, featuring lightly scalloped, dark chocolate brown leaves attractive throughout the season. Rose-pink flowers appear in terminal cymes just above the foliage in summer (June-August), offering a beautiful contrast to the darker leaves.

Tolerances

• Rabbit
• Deer
• Drought
• Erosion
• Air Pollution

Potential Problems

The primary concern when growing Sedum ‘Chocolate Drop’ is root or stem rot, which occurs if the plant sits in wet, poorly drained soil, especially during cool periods. Control this by ensuring soil permeability is high before planting this Stonecrop. Slugs and snails may occasionally feed on the succulent leaves, requiring standard preventative measures like baiting or encouraging natural predators. Taller sedums prone to flopping can be avoided by strictly adhering to the full sun requirement and resisting the urge to over-enrich the soil.

Frequently Asked Questions

What hardiness zones is Stonecrop suitable for?

Sedum ‘Chocolate Drop’ is reliably hardy in USDA Zones 4 through 8.

How large does Stonecrop grow?

This specific cultivar generally reaches a height between 0.5 and 1 foot tall, spreading from 0.75 to 1.5 feet wide at maturity.

What sun exposure does Sedum ‘Chocolate Drop’ need?

For the best performance, especially deep chocolate coloration and sturdy growth, Sedum ‘Chocolate Drop’ requires full sun.

When does Sedum ‘Chocolate Drop’ bloom?

This Stonecrop typically produces its lovely rose-pink flowers during the mid-summer months, specifically from July to August.

Conclusion

Sedum ‘Chocolate Drop’ offers exceptional value to the landscape due to its reliable, near-black foliage and its resistance to common garden stresses like drought and pests. This easy-to-manage Stonecrop provides a fantastic textural and color anchor to any sunny, well-drained area. Before planting, confirm your site offers full sun and excellent drainage to ensure your Sedum ‘Chocolate Drop’ thrives season after season.

Companion Planting

When selecting companions for Sedum ‘Chocolate Drop’, focus on plants that share its love for strong sunlight and dry, sharp drainage. Low-growing ornamental grasses that feature fine texture, such as certain Fescues (Festuca spp.), create an excellent visual contrast to the thick, succulent leaves of the Stonecrop. Consider pairing it with other drought-tolerant perennials like Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) or hardy Lavender (Lavandula spp.) for a full, water-wise, Mediterranean-style planting scheme. These combinations ensure that no single plant demands excessive summer water, keeping maintenance low for the entire grouping.

Design Ideas for Rock Gardens

The natural habitat reference for Stonecrop—growing on rocky outcrops—makes Sedum ‘Chocolate Drop’ a natural fit for constructed rock gardens. Plant it cascading over the edges of medium-sized boulders or tuck it between flagstones where moisture retention is minimal. Its mounding habit works well to soften hardscaping lines. Place it near lighter-colored gravel or pale limestone paths to maximize the dramatic visual effect of its dark foliage against a bright backdrop. This contrast ensures the chocolate color reads clearly even from a distance.