I agree, Matrona is a great sedum. I don't think that any of the sedums get enough press. The uprights and the low sprawling or ground cover types are tolerant of a wide range of growing conditions. Most are very well behaved, with just a few types that spread about, but these are easily controlled. Cuttings root easily for more plants if you want them. They are reliable and provide foliage, texture interest, bloom and/or color at times when little else in the garden is providing a good show from early spring to late fall.
One of my Matronas yesterday

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Mxk - Very pretty!
Gazania - How long have you had yours? I like Matrona too and wanted it after seeing a mature plant like yours in someone's garden. It's beautiful! I've had mine for awhile and still don't have a big nicely shaped clump like that but it keeps looking better.

I'll agree with that. I love my Matrona, I think its actually my favorite (with 'Purple Emperor' a close second). Like mk3 said the color of the flower is a duller kind of pink, but I LIKE it like that. I actually have mine in an area that gets a good deal of shade, but is dry. It seems to like it there.
Mine looks a little diffrent than your guys' though. The edge of my Matrona's leaf is REALLY crincly.
CMK

I have it too and love it. Mine is so surrounded by grasses and phlox that I can't tell what the shape would be.
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gazania, that's is what I was going to say. I just break off a long piece and stick it in the ground, easiest things to propagate. I love the sedum with the hosta at your foundation. What side of the house is that on, or how much sun is it getting....what kind of hosta?

I just bought a sport of Matrona called Maestro, don't really see much difference yet (it is still in the pot).

That Matrona was planted in April of 2002. It was started the previous year from a cutting in another bed. The location is East facing and gets full sun till around 1 pm. The Hosta is Gold Standard and will take more sun than most Hosta's but does get really dull looking if there is a prolonged dry spell. I do pinch, actually 'cut', back all tall sedums by about half in mid to late May. That keeps them from opening up and/or flopping later. Smaller, but more flowering heads are the result. As a bonus, late April into May is when the tender new leaves of Matrona are attacked and disfigured by aphids. Cutting back in late May after the aphids have moved on, removes all that damaged foliage.

Beautiful! I just cleared space for a full sun flower bed (removed shrubs) inside my cottage garden. I planted it up with coneflowers, asters, mums, verbena and snapdragons. That Matrona would be a perfect companion.

Thanks for posting this thread!
Cameron

I'm noticing all the posters here are zone7 and below. I found Matrona to be very floppy and consigned it to the back of the back garden.

Of the six spectabiles that I grow my preference would be for Brilliant and a chance seedling from it. Goes really well with Lychnis coronaria for me.

I love Brilliant's bright green foliage and equally bright pink bloom and have several in various places in the yard. It stands out beautufully with darker leaved perennials like Penstemon 'Huskers Red', Salvia 'Purple Knockout' and the more sun tolerant Heucheras. For me, it is not nearly as vigorous as Matrona and tends to spread open even with pinching back, but I still love it for it's color. Apparently, so do the rabbits as it is the only sedum that I have that the rabbits will destroy if I don't keep it sprayed with a repellant.

Sedum 'Frosty Morn' is a beauty also, but also not as vigorous and tends to flop more. It takes close watching to keep the solid green from taking over.

I just bought Sedum Autumn joy, Matrona and Purple emperor last fall. I like all of them, and the bees love them too! Matrona is probably my favorite of the three. They are handling our recent dry weather without a hitch. Here's Matrona and Purple Emperor together -

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I grow Matrona in full sun, no pinching back. I find it a bit floppy and it opens up, unlike Autumn Joy. I find the same thing with several red varieties.

I'll have to try pinching. Can't imagine a reduction in sun would help the problem??

I have 'Brillliant', too - and it's a great sedum!

I do agree Matrona is not as tight as Brilliant, but it doesn't flop for me, though.

I went to a plant nursery today, but they didn't have Matrona. Instead, I got 'Beka', 'Purple Emperor' and 'Green Expectations' to use together. I like the color combo. I planted them between a lavender and a loropetalum in a new garden space with purple coneflowers, agastache purple haze, and salvia greggii (deep rose) and salvia black & blue.

Cameron

Here is a link that might be useful: today's sedum purchase

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Here is matrona with 'new zealand purple' castor bean, 'tropicanna' canna, and a croscosmia flower.

:)
great thread!
Karen