Probably not what you want to hear, but my Matrona (zone 7) starting putting on new growth in December. It's about 6-8 inches tall now... and about the same height as my Autumn Joy.

Now these are mature plants, but even the babies I started last year are 2-3 inches tall.

I'm seeing the same thing - all my sedums are showing vigorous signs of life. They're not 6-8 inches tall but they are very much emerged from the soil with new growth. Even those in containers (last season's not yet planted......I've got scores of plants like this :-)) are showing the same conditions.

Mine are all up in PA

i wouldnt know.. because i havent cleaned my garden yet.. lol ... just yanking gals chain .... lol ..

i did walk out there.. poked through all the leaves stuck in last years stalks .... yep.. the little cabbages are there from last year.. they are about the size of your little finger nail ... brussel sprouts ... no new growth ...

what i dont understand is what you mean by emerge... they shouldnt be underground to begin with..

in fact.. none of my sedums disappear under the ground for winter ...

is there any chance you planted them too deep???

or do you mean they havent started to elongate???

they are fully hardy .. go out with a stiff paint brush.. dust away the soil.. if they are underground.. dig up the whole plant.. and reset it so that it is planted at the proper depth ... if you wait too long ... they may suffocate before they prosper ....

but whatever you do.. dont clean the rest of the garden ... lol

ken

Ignore everything Ken said :-) Actually, he is pretty much right on the money - there is almost always some sort of visible, aboveground evidence of these plants year round. If you don't see anything at all, then perhap excessively wet winter conditions or poor drainage might be a factor, as these are very hardy plants.

And go ahead and clean up or remove mulch if you wish......and I'm saying this just to yank Ken's chain :-)) Ken, if you removed that mulch, these guys might be further along for you than they are now. But I guess we've already thoroughly dissected THAT discussion. LOL!

No, they disappear for the winter. It's what herbaceous perennials do.

And yes, my Matrona has started growing this spring.

thanks everyone...unfortunately these Matrona are probably dead. I bought 3 mature ones last summer that had received too much water at the nursery (plus we had ALOT of rain!). The leaves had started to fall off, but I thought since sedum are so hardy, I'd bring them home, dry them out and they would recover. No such luck, the week I put them in the ground, it rained heavily everyday. By the end of the summer, all I had were a few pathetic stems. I cut those back and hoped that the roots would survive until the spring. Seems like my experiment has failed.

Herbaceous only means the plant has no permanent woody framework and that the foliage dies back to the ground each season. It doesn't necessarily guarantee the plants disappear from sight entirely :-) Many herbaceous perennials will maintain basal foliage or produce insignificant late season growth that remains in place all winter. And some are even considered 'evergreen' to the extent that the foliage winters over more or less intact but should be cut back or removed in early spring as new growth emerges. Hellebores and many epimediums are examples of this and and they are certainly considered herbaceous perennials.

-Shelli, I have to agree that the Sedum in question are dead. I had a similar thing happen to a 'Red Cauli' Sedum. It was small at the nursery, and did not look too great. The soil was so moist that moss was growing on it. It also looked like they had overwintered it in the same small pot. That should have been a sign not to get it, but I couldn't resist. Not long after I planted it the leaves fell off and the stems turned mushy. Luckily I took a cutting from one of the last good stems and I think it has rooted in the garden.
CMK

CMK-
That sounds exactly like my experience...I'm a sucker for sedums so I thought I'd give it a chance. In my area, it is difficult to find Matrona, but I'll probably try again this summer. The burgundy veining is quite beautiful.

Definaltly try Matrona again next year! It is one of my favorites. This time try planting it in the dryest spot in your yard and take a few cuttings just in case. I have had to move several of mine in the past due to lack of drainage in certain spots.
Good luck to you and your next Matrona.
CMK

Shelli, you did it backwards. You should have tried to save the stems and thrown out the rotten roots!

Sedum cuttings are ridiculously easy to propagate. Just stick 'em in the ground!

I'm taking cuttings of every new plant I purchase now. If the plant dies, then I have another shot with the cuttings. Plants are too expensive now. We can all learn from your experience.

i had problems with sedums at the old house where i had nice loam soil ... they floopped due to good soil ...

moved to pure yellow sand.. never water [after establishment].. never fertilize.. and they perform to specs ... go figure on that ...

if you have too much water.. or clay soil .. you might be better off planting them on a mound ...

if i grab last years scape... and just tug them out.. often.. the little cabbage comes with them .. snip off the dead part.. and plant the cabbage.. and you have a new plant ... 99% of the time .. never tried cuttings ...

ken

There is no question that sedums need good drainage. If your soil does not drain well the solution(and I regret having to agree with Ken, the staccato gardener)plant them on a berm. Al

I'm bumping this thread because I just bought Sedum Matrona and have a question.
This specimen is gorgeous -- not flowering but quite tall and bright green with some budding...no sign of distress at all. Soil doesn't look at rocky as some of the other found in the containers of the succulents I bought today but it's dry to the touch on the top.
I bought it for a location under my 15 ft tall deck. The deck is south sun facing and the soil underneath is INCREDIBLY rocky. Like so rocky my husband had a use a jack hammer to get into the soil to build our deck. We're also on a bit of a slope. Anyway, I've been wanting to get some sedums for down there since I know some of them do well in partial shade...I can plant them next to the posts so they'll be slightly shaded/protected from excess moisture but mostly in a sunny location.
Question is: How do I know if my soil is well draining? I'm assuming it is since it's so darn rocky but what do I know? The answer is: next to nothing. This is a new hobby of mine. Anyway, do I want to try and dig a hole for this sedum or should I just keep it in the pot (or get a larger one) and prop it up next to one of the outermost deck posts?