Ditto Peren.all.

I would gently push the long leafless stems into the soil so they are in good contact. They will root at the point of contact and possibly send out side shoots.

I did this during my Spring clean up. I also took any parts that fell off and pushed in. I literally just lay a broken piece on bare ground, take a finger and push down a half inch of so. Recover with mulch and garden on.

It is best to cut down the dead stalks in Nov. or Dec. and leave 1 inch of it so they can be seen in the Spring and not disturbed. Never try to pull them as it has a very shallow root and will come out of the ground. I am 60 and growing the same plant I was given at 15. I have given away many starts from it. When mine gets 6 to 8 inches tall I cut a few stalks from the backside where it won't be noticed and stick them in the ground or a flower pot and they root within 2 weeks. Good luck with it.

Zone 7. Danville Va

Thank you for the responses. When do they start coming back usually? My daylilies are popping up and I see the beginning of my peonies as well but, the sedum is still loving so very sad. My front yard faces North and after four years of living here I have noticed that when I see growth at my neighbors across the street my plants are a good 2 weeks behind them.

How much sun does that area get? And is the soil very damp? Although they can grow just about anywhere, sedums and stonecrops are succulent plants that prefer lots of sun and require not much water (and very good drainage). Little sun and soil that stays damp will certainly slow their development.

FWIW, there are varieties of sedums that will remain more or less evergreen even in colder climates. If this one does not respond in a timely manner, you might consider replacing with one of those.

I’m very new to planting on my own. In previous homes I’d hire a landscaper to plan/plant the beds for me. I decided to put my fear of failure to the side and attempt to plant this area on my own. It was all shrubs when we moved in; boxwood and bayberry bushes. I was trying to plant mainly perennials but have been struggling. Not only does the house face north but the front bed has three areas with all different sun exposure. I want some continuity across the front but what thrives in the shade struggles in the summer sun and what thrives in the summer sun struggles in the spring.

We have clay heavy soil so I’ve tried to build up the beds and amend them the best I could. I left two boxwoods in front of the front windows and have peonies, mums, day lilies, hosta, coral bells, some rock ferns, and the sedums planted.

Any ideas on what else I could add or what I should remove?

How long have the plants been in your garden? You might simply have immature plants and they need some time to build a root system to support healthy top growth.

It's not unusual to have a shade garden and a sun garden all in the same front yard. You can use different aspects other than the same plants to bring cohesion. If you line both gardens with a row of different plants, just the fact both are lined can help. Same mulch, same edging, etc.

posierosie_zone7a - the sedum has only been there since last spring/summer.

I think I'm doing ok with the plantings so far. I have daylilies as a border in the sunny section and then I transitioned over to hostas as the border in the shaded section. Everything is mulched the same and the edging is one continuous line.

This is kind of what I have going on. This was from May 2018 and I added/changed things a bit through the summer/fall.

Any thoughts on what I have going on and what I could change or add?

I personally think it looks great. It's simple and has symmetry. The plants look healthy. For a first year caring for plants, you should be very proud.

I have killed more plants than I care to mention. I believe myself to be fairly skilled, but not all plants are suited to my climate, soil or care practices.

If something goes wrong, I shrug and move on. If I feel especially stubborn, I try again, but usually with different cultivars or try from seed or from swaps of plants already thriving in my area. Gardening is one big experiment.

Thank you, posierosie. I just get so nervous in the spring waiting for everything to wake up :) I have been checking on my peonies each day just hoping to see more red buds sticking out of the ground. I'm not known to have patience so planting a perennial garden may not have been a good choice! lol! Or maybe it will teach me to relax a bit.

Patience is the most essential tool a gardener can have! It is a requirement :-) And a perennial garden requires much less patience than a shrub border or a conifer garden or growing a tree.........It all comes together - eventually :-)

Peonies are tough as nails - I would be surprised if they don't return. Most come up with red shoots for me but are just now poking up and other perennials have already started expanding. A few perennials won't show for a month or more (Those are dangerous as I keep planting over them.....oops!).

posierosie - I have just 4 red shoots coming up from my peonie plants. Some of my neighbors already have leaves on theirs! Super jealous right now!

Haha! They will be jealous of you when you have blooms and theirs have already passed...

Still no signs of my sedum coming back. My peonies are looking good though!

I decided to replace the sedum with Kramer’s Red Winter Heath. The only winter interest I have on the front of the house are two boxwood; everything else is a perennial.

The bed consists of dayllies, mums, peonies, hosta, rock fern, coral bells and now the winter heath. Would you add anything else to this?