My Man Bertram

Day 199
The Daily DuBrule

My courtyard is really hot, especially this summer. Temperatures in the high nineties for days on end in an enclosed area filled with stone makes for an intense environment for plants. One of the most successful plants that I have chosen for this space is Sedum 'Bertram Anderson'. 

The smoky purple foliage of this ground cover sedum was what first attracted me to it. I was looking for a plant that could edge a bed next to a purple smokebush. Bertram fit the bill nicely. Later I added native Allium cernum behind it which I think is a marriage made in heaven.

Bertram is, in my opinion, an improved form of another old favorite 'Vera Jameson'. It starts to flower in late August with rosy pink flowers that last for a month. It is undemanding. I NEVER water it. I mean never, even if we have high temperatures and no rain for weeks on end. It doesn't mind. In fact, I see many sedums killed by too much watering all the time. That's what they are best at, growing in dry situations. 

A few years ago, before I planted the Allium cernum, a friend of mine had given me a double purple Datura. I plunked it behind Bertram. That was a very special summer as I was able to sit on the steps of my deck leading to my courtyard and observe this dramatic tropical plant dangle its flowers over the beautiful purple foliage of Sedum 'Bertram Anderson'. Every time I look at the pictures of this combination, I smile.