I have a tricolor sedum. It is in a pot indoors. How do I care for and fertilize it?
Sedums need very little care. In fact, most potted sedums are killed by over care rather than undercare. Really, all they need is proper watering. Water only when the soil is dry. Here is an article that you may find helpful: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/cacti-succulents/sedum/sedums-plants.htm
My autumn joy gets so big that it flops over. I've heard that you can prune it back in early July. How far back can you prune and does it recover nicely? I would like to keep them more compact.
First, make sure that it gets plenty of sun to reduce the flopping. You can also pinch plants back to keep them compact and cut them back by half in May.
I have a 12-inch perimeter around the bottom of our 24' above ground pool and wanted to plant a fairly easy to maintain, thick ground cover in this area. I found some Chinese sedum at a local store and bought it. Now, before planting, I have a concern. The exposure says to plant in full sun. On the web I have found info indicating full sun to partial shade, so here is the issue. Some areas will only get full sun for about 4-5 hours of the day due to the shading of the pool walls. There is never partial sun, only full or no sun. Will this plant work for me in this environment or should I return it and try something else? Can you suggest an alternative if this plant won't work?
It has small white flowers - leaves are oval, almost giving a furry white appearance.
Sounds like it might be a sedum. If you have a picture, send it back attached to this email and we can better identify it.
This recently planted groundcover looked great up until July, then it died back. Does this perennial die back and return next spring?
Yes, they should. Here is more information on growing this plant: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/stonecrop/stonecrop-plant.htm
Should I cut off the flowers from my sedum plants? They have gotten so heavy they are falling over.
You can, as it certainly wouldn't hurt the plant. Or you could wait until after the first frost and then cut the plant back to about a couple inches. Apply a fair amount of straw mulch to keep it well protected over winter. You can also choose to leave your sedum plants alone until spring (trimming back the same amount), allowing the foliage to provide the plant with winter protection.
Please suggest varieties of tall growing sedums which will do well on patios.
This article should help:https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/stonecrop/stonecrop-plant.htm