'Blood Dragon' is a compact upright Hylotelephium cultivar selected for its deep burgundy foliage and late-summer magenta flowers. It was introduced in the early 2020s as part of the Rock 'N Grow series bred by Chris Hansen, and it sits alongside older selections like 'Purple Emperor' and 'Karfunkelstein' in the dark-leaved end of the H. telephium complex.
Part of the Complete Sedum Guide.
Identification
- Upright clump 30 to 40 cm tall, spreading to 45 cm.
- Stems red-purple through the season, holding the foliage colour from emergence in April to frost.
- Leaves obovate, 3 to 5 cm long, blackish burgundy in full sun, shifting to olive-red in partial shade.
- Inflorescence a flat-topped cyme 8 to 12 cm across, saturated magenta-pink, from August into October.
- Root system a tuberous crown; deciduous in winter, re-emerging each spring.
The key identification point against similar cultivars: 'Blood Dragon' keeps its colour hotter through the summer than 'Purple Emperor' (which can grey off in mid-season) and holds it later than 'Black Jack' (which shifts toward green as flower heads develop).
Cultivation
Standard hardy Hylotelephium treatment. Specific to this cultivar:
- USDA zones 4 to 9. Cold-hardy and heat-tolerant.
- Wants full sun for the darkest foliage; in shade the pigments thin and the plant stretches.
- Lean soil. Over-fed plants flop and lose colour. No supplementary feeding in most gardens.
- Good drainage essential. Winter wet on heavy clay is the most common cause of crown rot.
Chelsea chop is optional. The clump holds itself upright without intervention on thin soil; on richer beds a June cut by a third produces shorter sturdier stems.
Propagation
Division in early spring as new shoots break ground. Stem cuttings of non-flowering shoots in late spring root in a fortnight in gritty compost. The cultivar is patented; commercial propagation requires a licence, personal-use cuttings for your own garden are unrestricted.
Notes
The dark foliage is a sink for carotenoid and anthocyanin pigments, and colour expression depends on light, temperature, and nutrition in roughly that order. A plant in shade on a rich bed will appear olive-green; the same plant moved to full sun on a stony bank will be near-black within a season. If your 'Blood Dragon' has faded, reach for the trowel before the fertiliser bag.
Pollinator value is identical to the species: the flat cymes carry hoverflies, bumblebees, and late butterflies through August and September. The dark foliage also serves as a foil for lighter-leaved companions in a mixed planting; it pairs particularly well with silver Artemisia and chartreuse grasses.