Product Field NotesCompanion Plants
Pride and Joy Stonecrop: A Dark Pink Dome to Edge Your Lavender
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Pride and Joy stonecrop is a darker version of the popular Pure Joy. Same neat, rounded mushroom-cap dome, but with deeper green, bluish-cast leaves and dark pink flowers. In late summer, a solid cap of tiny star-shaped flowers covers the plant so completely that it looks like a round pink cushion sitting on a thin layer of green.
It thrives in the same hot, sunny, well-drained ground as lavender and blooms after the lavender is cut, which makes it a natural edger for a lavender bed.
Pride and Joy at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Hylotelephium 'Pride and Joy' |
| Flowers | Dark pink stars in a rounded cap; sterile, so they set no seed |
| Foliage | Small, fleshy, toothed, dark green with a bluish cast |
| Size | 10 to 12 inches tall, 16 to 20 inches wide |
| Bloom | Starts late August, peaks mid-September, holds into fall |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 3 to 9 |
| Light | Full sun |
| Wildlife | Excellent for pollinators; rabbits leave it alone |
Planting in groups
One Pride and Joy is tidy. Five in a row along a bed edge are bold. Their dark, even domes make a crisp border line in front of looser, airier lavender, and the darker foliage keeps the edge looking sharp even in early summer when the sedum is not in flower. Plant them about as far apart as their mature width so each dome stays round.
The color timing is what lavender growers will appreciate. Once you have harvested your lavender in midsummer, the bed can look a little shorn. Pride and Joy fills that late-season gap with dark pink from late August into fall, and the bees follow. Try the layout in the Companion Plant Planner.
Care tips
- Keep it lean: in hot, rich or overwatered sites, stems can stretch and flop. Poor, dry soil keeps the dome tight.
- Drainage: it is very drought tolerant once established and rots in soggy ground.
- Tight habit: it was selected for a habit that resists opening in the center.
- Pests: watch for aphids and sedum weevil now and then.
Winter and spring
Pride and Joy is fully hardy in Michigan. Leave the dried flower heads standing for winter interest, then cut the old stems back in early spring before new growth emerges. Drainage matters more than mulch.
For bouquets
The flower heads are good cut and dry well, so a few stems can join late-summer arrangements or dried bundles with lavender.
Plug tray or bare root
It is offered as a 72-cell plug tray for edging and mass planting, and as a bare root plant for direct planting. See each product page for current availability.
Frequently asked questions
How is Pride and Joy different from Pure Joy?
Pride and Joy has darker green foliage and darker pink flowers. Pure Joy has lighter blue-green leaves and bubblegum pink flowers. Both form the same neat dome.
Will it seed around the garden?
No. Its flowers are sterile and set no seed.
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