Stonecrop (Hylotelephium telephium 'Blackjack')
Hylotelephium telephium 'Blackjack' Stonecrop offers striking deep purple foliage and late-season pink blooms. Low maintenance, drought tolerant.
Scroll down to discover growing tips, care requirements, companion plants, and more
Complete Plant Information
Overview
Hylotelephium telephium ‘Blackjack’, commonly known by its shared name Stonecrop, is a highly valued feature plant prized for its dramatically colored, dark foliage that matures to a deep purple-black hue. This variety provides essential late-season color when many other perennials are fading, presenting contrasting pink flower heads against its succulent leaves. As a vigorous, drought-tolerant perennial, Hylotelephium telephium ‘Blackjack’ is celebrated for its resilience and minimal care requirements once established.
This selection typically mounds upright, often reaching 2 to 2.5 feet tall, with an equally wide spread, making it an excellent architectural element in the garden border. Its structure and persistence—it often retains dried foliage into winter—ensure year-round interest. Gardeners appreciate this Stonecrop for its ability to thrive in challenging, drier sites without compromising its vibrant color display.
The late flowers of Hylotelephium telephium ‘Blackjack’ are highly attractive to pollinators like butterflies and bees, adding ecological value alongside its strong visual impact. For gardeners seeking dependable, dramatic color and texture with low input, this specific cultivar of Stonecrop is a reliable choice for hot, sunny locations.
Fast Facts
- Plant Family: Crassulaceae
- Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
- Hardiness Zones: USDA Zones 3-9
- Size at Maturity:
- Height: 2-2.5 ft
- Spread: 2-3 ft
- Bloom Time: August to October
- Bloom Description: Pink
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Water Needs: Dry to medium
- Maintenance Level: Low
How to Grow
Plant Hylotelephium telephium ‘Blackjack’ in the spring or fall, ensuring a location that receives full sun for the best foliage color. This Stonecrop requires average, dry to medium, well-drained soils; it particularly thrives in sandy or gravelly grit, reflecting its native preference for rocky ledges. Avoid overly rich garden soils, as richer conditions or too much shade can cause the stems to become weak and floppy, ruining the neat mound shape.
Watering should be infrequent once established, leveraging its excellent drought tolerance. Fertilizing is rarely necessary; in fact, low soil fertility encourages better habit and coloration. If you must amend the soil, ensure drainage remains paramount; good soil drainage is critical for the overall health of this succulent perennial.
Propagation is simple, typically done through divisions in spring or by taking stem cuttings during the summer months. An interesting feature of this plant is its persistence; even detached leaves, when placed on or near soil, can root to form entirely new Hylotelephium telephium ‘Blackjack’ plants. In late fall, the spent flower heads may remain, providing winter texture, though cutting them back in early spring tidies the patch for new seasonal growth.
Landscape Uses
Hylotelephium telephium ‘Blackjack’ offers vertical interest and incredible late-season color, making it perfect for several design roles. Use this sturdy Stonecrop in large rock gardens where its drought resistance mimics its native habitat, or plant it at the front of borders to showcase the dark foliage against brighter companions. Because of its upright, mounding habit, it works excellently as a specimen plant in groupings or integrated within mixed perennial beds.
This cultivar also performs admirably in containers where its deep purple-black leaves provide striking contrast to silver foliage or brightly colored annuals. Ensure any container selection includes substantial drainage to manage the Stonecrop’s preference for dry conditions rather than sitting perpetually wet. It serves as a strong dark anchor point in sun-drenched mixed arrangements.
When planning companions, select plants that share its high-sun and partial drought tolerance. Grasses or silvery artemisias pair beautifully with the dark foliage and pink blooms of Hylotelephium telephium ‘Blackjack’ in late summer displays.
Standout Features
Flower Qualities
- Showy
Noteworthy Characteristics
Hylotelephium telephium, commonly known as stonecrop or live-forever, is a succulent perennial recognized by its fleshy leaves and robust nature; this variety, ‘Blackjack’, is distinguished by its striking deep purple foliage that emerges purple-green and quickly darkens. It features dense, flattened cymes of tiny, star-like pink flowers, measuring up to 6 inches across, which bloom reliably from late summer until frost, attracting important pollinators. This plant was formerly classified under the genus Sedum but has been reclassified into Hylotelephium, although it is still frequently sold under its older name.
Tolerances
- Drought
- Dry Soil
- Shallow-Rocky Soil
Potential Problems
This Stonecrop variety is generally robust, presenting no serious insect or disease problems under proper growing conditions. Gardeners should remain vigilant for common soft-bodied pests such as slugs, scale, mealybugs, aphids, and weevils, particularly if the plant is situated in an area with slightly less than ideal drainage. Management usually involves inspection and targeted, minimal intervention using horticultural soaps or physical removal if pest populations climb. Overly wet or poorly draining soil is the primary risk factor, leading to root rot, so prioritize drainage above all else.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hardiness zones is Stonecrop suitable for?
Hylotelephium telephium ‘Blackjack’ is very cold-hardy, thriving in USDA Zones 3 through 9.
How large does Stonecrop grow?
This variety typically reaches a height between 2 and 2.5 feet tall and generally spreads to a width of 2 to 3 feet when mature.
What sun exposure does Hylotelephium telephium ‘Blackjack’ need?
For optimal performance and the deepest foliage color, Hylotelephium telephium ‘Blackjack’ requires full sun exposure throughout the day.
When does Hylotelephium telephium ‘Blackjack’ bloom?
This Stonecrop variety is known for its late-season flowers, typically blooming reliably from August into October with clusters of pink blooms.
Conclusion
The structural presence and unparalleled dark foliage make Hylotelephium telephium ‘Blackjack’ an essential element for late-season garden drama and reliability. This durable Stonecrop offers high visual reward for very low maintenance input, thriving where many other perennials struggle due to dry conditions. Before planting, confirm your site offers the required full sun and excellent drainage to ensure your ‘Blackjack’ retains its signature dark coloration throughout the growing season.
Propagation Tips
Propagating Hylotelephium telephium ‘Blackjack’ is an easy task that requires minimal effort, allowing any gardener to quickly expand their collection of this dark marvel. The most reliable method is division, which should be undertaken in the spring just as new growth begins to emerge from the soil crown. Carefully lift the clump and separate viable sections, ensuring each new piece has a healthy portion of roots attached before replanting them immediately into prepared, well-draining soil.
Stem cuttings offer another straightforward path for increasing your supply of Stonecrop throughout the summer growing season. Select healthy, non-flowering stem tips, about 3-4 inches long, and remove the lowest leaves to leave a few leafy nodes exposed. Once you place these cuttings into moist, sandy soil or even just very well-draining grit, they often root rapidly within a few weeks, especially if kept in a partially shaded, warm location until rooting is confirmed.
Interestingly, the succulent nature of the foliage allows for an extremely simple form of asexual reproduction: leaf cuttings. Detached leaves, provided they are fresh and healthy, can simply be laid on slightly moist soil and left undisturbed. Over time, tiny new rosettes of Hylotelephium telephium ‘Blackjack’ will form at the base of the leaf stem, establishing new, independent plants.
Wildlife Benefits
The flowering period of Stonecrop, stretching from late summer into autumn, fills a critical gap in the feeding schedule for many local pollinators. The tiny, star-like pink flowers are clustered into large, dense heads that provide an easily accessible landing platform for foraging insects. This late-season nectar source is often crucial for bees preparing for winter or butterflies beginning their migration journeys.
By incorporating Hylotelephium telephium ‘Blackjack’ into your borders, you actively support local biodiversity. The flower heads, even after they fade to a dull burgundy brown, often remain standing, providing textural interest and potential winter shelter for beneficial insects nestled in the dried stems and seed heads. Choosing this hardy perennial ensures a reliable food source is available late in the season.
