Joe Pye Weed, "Chocolate", stays about the same height, and would look marvelous. The plant itself has dark brown foliage, with white blooms.

In front of AJ I like blue fescue, it compliments the foliage and gives nice texture contrast so it looks good all season even when AJ is not in bloom. Low growing dianthus also looks nice. For continuous color, I've used annuals like Victoria Blue Salvia and a dark red or maroon salvia splendens.

How about Nepeta 'Walker's Low'? Nice grey green foliage, long bloom time, and similar growing requirements.

Hi,

I was just admiring a nice combination in my yard this year. I added an Agastache Pink Panther, next to a Blue Fortune anise hyssop. I don't usually like blue and pink together but this is really nice together. Behind them, is cosmos with pink shades. The airy, fluffy foliage adds to the mix. In front are sedum AJ and sedum 'Matrona', which is a dark variety with a very pretty growth habit and shading on the plant with reddish maroon stems. Around them are a brown Carex grass and Purple ruffles basil. Very pretty. Oh I forgot, there is also a pink chrysanthemum with the sedums.

Slvr

I realize you want something in front of the sedum, but i am blown away by my hydrangea macrophylla with sedum 'autumn joy' in front of it. I like it so much the way the flower heads mirror each other that I am going to increase the sedums around the base of my hydrangea is there any way you could switch things and put something behind the sedum-it just looks so great in the front of the border since there's nothing you'd want to hide about it.just a suggestion : )

I've read that hostas particularly the green and gold varieties look great. And I like it in front of purple smoke bush. I've planted sedum Vera Jameson in front of Powis Castle Artemesia and really like it this year.

I just bought a Stonecrop Autumn Joy yesterday. I'm new to this part of the country and this was a new plant to me. I love the contrast that this plant provides. I planted it in my front foundation in front of my inkberry shrubs, morning light ornmental grass, evergreen shrub of some sort and dogwood tree. I love the way it looks so much that I think I'm going to plant a few others. I also have azaleas in the garden. I don't know what the plant will look like when it blooms since I've never seen it, but I'm hoping it will add the color I need this time of year.

Also, I heard that blue fescue ornamental grasses look nice in front of the Autumn Joy. I'd be curious to know if anyone has tried it.

I've never tried blue fescue, but I have dianthus with blue foliage in front of my Autumn Joy...and some Coreopsis Rosacae beside it.

I think it looks great.

gardenguru-your sedum bloom will look like a puff of pink stars and then it turns a rust color-also when the cool weather sets in the edges of the leaves turn coppery too-what is so valuable about this plant is how great it looks the whole time it develops-I try not to deadhead mine so i have a little winter interest when the snow catches it.
I also don't have blue fescue -yet- but I agree these two would look very well together.The yellow green of the sedum and the blue green of fescue would contrast nicely.

I have Autumn Joy Sedum planted around a birdbath that is filled with succulents tucked into an upside-down wire basket filled with soil and covered with moss. The result looks like a very fancy cake on an elaborate cake stand with the sedums around the supporting pillar. The blue-greens and pink-to-orange tips on the echeverias and sempervivums look smashing with the Autumn Joy Sedum. Behind it all is a Mexican Bush Sage, or salvia leucantha, with gray-green foliage with purple flower spikes.

Placing some echeveria in front of your Autumn Joy Sedum could be very complimentary. These are tidy little plants and can be almost architectural-looking when planted in a row. Thats my two cents.

I have a great combination of Autumn Joy with Salvia "Blue Hills" and Stachys "Silver Carpet", such a nice combo that I took some photos of it last week - outstanding!

I didn't plant this on purpose, but I have some california poppies that started up amongst the AJ and took off from there. They looked pretty good together. I'm going to have to see if I can do this on purpose, now, with some of my other AJ plants.

You've probably long ago solved this problem, but what about the pink variety of Scabiosa? It's relatively low, has a long bloom time, and will repeat bloom. The feathery foliage should be a good compliment for the sedum too.

im with wild rose...scabiosa in pink or blue would look good..keep in mind that small leaved plants contrast well with large leaved and go from there...there is nothing wrong with using annuals in the meanwhile and you might like dwarf ageratum in a blue that cant be beat.you might want to mix some phlox subulata in as a groundcover that mixes well and brings spring flowers when the sedum is just starting to grow. then add dianthus spring beauty for the blueish foliage and early summer flowers..by then the ageratum is filled in and the rest is history...whatever you choose--keep size in mind but pick what you love and you cant go wrong,,,,

My my fine gardening book there is a picture of fountain grass, sedum, coreopsis moonbeam and rudbeckia. The yellows were separated and it is a very nice combination.

I have Siberian iris behind the AJ with asters in front of AJ and Ice plant mixed w/blue fescue in front of that, I like it.

Moonshine Yarrow, Purple Coneflower, Purple Palace, Lambs Ears.

Blue fescue, fountain grass, coneflowers and moonbeam coreopsis.

Babsclare, I thought hydrangea needed lots of water and Sedum Autumn Joy does not. Was the hydrangea hard to establish? I always thought of hydrangeas as part-shady, thirsty plants and autumn joy as sunny, drought tolerant, but I''m no expert! I planted purple fountain grass with my autumn joy and it's great. I love the colors together. Most of this part of my garden is maroon-leafed plants with yellow flowers (purple fountain grass, acer bloodgood, and yellow kangaroo paws. I have come to love the maroon and yellow combination. And I used to hate yellow in the garden.

Hello!...I have Dragon's Blood Sedum(a low growing groundcover with reddish edges) planted in front of my Autumn Joy, and I just got some Purple Emperor Sedum to plant on either side of AJ to add some color to the sedum mixture. Purple Emperor keeps its dark purple foliage and blooms a reddish pink...it is similar in form to AJ.... I have interesting rocks and uniquely shaped pieces of weathered cedar wood added for an interesting woodland rock garden effect. This area is situated next to bridge going over a stream with spills over into a pond. Adjacent to this Sedum arrangement, I have a Densata Dwarf Spruce tree and a Mountain Ash surrounded by Goldstrum Rudbeckia, Burgundy and Goblin Blanketflowers, Flying Saucers Coreopsis, Baby Goldenrod and Blue Mirror Delphinium.(I love the deep blue of this airy form of Delphinium along with the burgundy and yellow golds of the others...That Baby Goldenrod is a really nice and sturdy plant!..great form and the yellow looks so nice with blues, purples and reds...Plant it next to Burgundy blanketflower for a wonderful effect)...When AJ blooms, it adds its burst of rosy pink color, which then warms up to a brick red color which looks nice alongside the colors of the others....Ooooppphhs...I got carried away!...I love the topic of companion plants and enjoy hearing about what works best together and is most pleasing to the eye....Take care...GardenLove

I have brilliant sedum in front of bee balm. Do not like it. Any suggestions what would look good in front of my red bee balm.