Three Rivers Stone and Stepables Sedum

April 28th, 2008

Three Rivers StoneI want to share a couple recent purchases I made for my garden, specifically, for a water feature I am building that I should be able to share in a week or 10 days.

The first is this gorgeous rock called Three Rivers Stone. I was at the stone place and wanted some boulders 12-18 inches square and wanted something interesting. I was just going to get generic glacial boulders which are cheap, but then I saw these, and I fell in love. They’re just so cool. Apparently they’re from a place in Idaho and it is the only place in the world you get these stones (a type of very very very dense & heavy sandstone). I’m guessing it is near three rivers or what used to be three rivers. There are shades of true purple, gold, yellow, rust brown, and even streaks of black (oil? Dunno, I’m no geologist) in some. They have so much visual strength and character. I bought about 2500 pounds worth and paid $500, including delivery, which is cheaper than I thought it’d be. That volume gains me around 20 (or just under) linear feet of wall for my raised water garden.

SteppablesThe second thing I bought were some “Stepables” ground covers. These were expensive, $45 a tray, but what can you do? “Stepables” is just a brand name for a company that sells ground covers that take foot traffic. I bought a tray that is 1/3rd blue sedum, 1/3rd golden moneywort (lysimachia aurea), and 1/3rd purple sedum. I know for a fact that all three plants are stupidly easily to propagate and had I had the option to buy them anywhere else, I would have, but I’d never even seen those types of sedum before, and I check out a lot of catalogs, ebay, and nursery websites. So, I bought them for the high price, but if you were to do the same I would recommend you do as I did and buy the minimum and then propagate them by yourself, they’re so easy.

I actually had a golden moneywort already (and had propagated it all over my yard), but I had bought it on ebay and I didn’t know what cultivar, if any, it was, and this stuff in the tray is more golden than mine, which is why I bought it originally (nice golden ground cover is good for contrasting foliage colors). So I figured I’d give this stuff a try and see how it compares to what I already had.

The sedum though, that stuff is for my water garden. Won’t that “Purple Form” sedum look great cascading down those three rivers stone boulders? I can’t wait.

To propagate either sedum or lysimachia get a tray like what you buy annuals in, recycle the ones you get from the nursery, fill it with soil. Then make a bunch of random small 3 inch or so cuttings from the plant you want to propagate, dip each in rooting hormone, stick it in the soil, keep it moist, and give it a few weeks. So easy. I’m propagating sedums constantly in the summer.

I’ll also be putting baby dwarf evergreens around the water garden, it is going to look great, stay tuned for pictures when it is done.

7 Responses to “Three Rivers Stone and Stepables Sedum”

  1. chey  Says:

    Beautiful stones. I look forward to seeing pictures of your water feature when it’s completed!

  2. Frances Hopkins  Says:

    I just wanted to say thanks for buying my product!
    You will love the sedums!! I know they will be great performers in your garden and hanging over your rocks. The two you bought in particular need super great drainage and not a lot of care, so put them in a spot that you know they won’t be sitting in water. Those two can get fussy if they get too much water at the base.
    I hope to see pictures of your project! Maybe you should enter our STEPscapes contest…there is a catergory for a waterwise garden and yours might be a really good example to show others how to do it right 🙂 Anyway…good luck on your project and let me know if you need advice-happy to help!

  3. plantgirl  Says:

    I’ve heard of stepables before but had no idea what they were – the idea is very cool – thanks for the propagating tips. Am thinking of putting something like that in a rose garden area I am making. I love water gardens and am looking forward to your pics.
    ~plantgirl

  4. Shady Gardener  Says:

    What beautiful stones. The sound of water, anywhere you garden, is wonderful. I look forward to your finished water feature!

  5. Bee Hat  Says:

    OOoh! Beautiful stones! I can’t wait to see the finished product!

  6. Evan Santi  Says:

    I run a NYC interior and exterior landscaping company. I have seen Sedum become a vital part of the green roof movement. I remember when I first got started in the industry, the average weekend gardener didn’t even know about steppables, but times have changed. These small but amazing plants have a unique ability to grow in an extremely small amount of soil, but capture rain water on roofs reducing urban run off (the number one pollutant of ocean water)

    As more cities fall Chicago’s lead and make it mandatory to have green roofs we will see an explosion in sedum and I can’t wait to see the new varieties and cultivars that will come.

    Evan Santi

  7. Scott Laine  Says:

    Thank you for purchasing our Three Rivers Stone, we are excited to get such great feedback about our stone products. The quarry is located in the sawtooth wilderness about 100 miles north of Sun Valley Idaho. The black color is mineral deposits and sometimes look like ferns call denderites. If needed we sell full pond and waterfall kits on HomeDepot.com or costco.com We wish you all the happyness with you water feature and hope to see pictures of your completed project.

    Thanks again,

    Scott Laine
    CEO
    L & W Stone Corporation

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