Plant Of The Week: Sedum

Sedum and it probably is happy and smart.

See man made flooding and it is likely dumb and unhappy.

Post World War II era in the United States has created an amazing increase in housing units and road systems that have increased the potential of quality life and mobility for citizens. The horrors of the war were followed by the jubilance of victory. This was tempered by the new reality of a possible life ending World War III. Speed and yearning for instant gratification included the underlying pulse that we could be 20 minutes from annihilation by nuclear weapons.  Sophisticated engineering blossomed under that threat and yielded incredible advances especially in outer space and at our desktop computers. As we involve ourselves in daily hand held computer interaction while a robot vehicle explores Mars we should all be proud as humans advancing civilization. As in all advances, some negatives do result. Texting while driving is an example.

Bigger, wider roads accommodating the dramatic shift from country to city and the surrounding population rings are in place. Unfortunately so is a drainage infrastructure that is a miserable failure.

Bigger pipes, faster runoff to keep water from building up as road flooding has been the only goal. This infrastructure is in place and can now be improved by returning to centuries old techniques that rely on common sense and happy Sedums. They are smarter than those labeled “Professional Engineers” or P.Es, but they need our help to overcome the institutional incompetence that thrives in government.

Throughout the USA and in many others, roads were made largely by demand and with natural materials. From Great Britain to Egypt the Roman Empire built roads that were similar to those in China where in 1492 the City of Xian had over 1 million people nearly 3 times as many humans as were in Western Europe when Columbus yelled anchors aweigh. Arabian occupation of Spain had just ended by force but one thing all agreed on was on each Continent swales were necessary. Travel by road was arduous and torturous compared to travel by water. Rivers, streams in human occupied areas had swales running parallel to them. “Engineering” and “environmental policy” have all but eliminated them in the Northeast U.S.

Why?

The risk of vehicles overturning by entering in a roadside swale is the normal excuse. Disturbing the native vegetation is the other response. These “engineering” and “environmental policy” are not even well intended. The first really is a way to make paving wider, boosting budgets and the other is a down the nose view of man’s ability to work with Nature. Good news is that humans are becoming more aware that we are part of the ecosystem and can contribute, not just degrade. Both the P.E. brains and green brains should be nervous as they get called out.

Sedum as a family has many colorful resilient members. Planted in a swale they will largely exclude other Species by their tight knit roots system. Deer do not eat them but humans not only can but for as long as the Chinese have been building cities and roads some of them have helped heal a number of natural diseases.  Get to know them as a family, they will brighten your day and help heal the flooding wounds inflicted on you.

Next time you see dumb floods, think Sedum.