Sempervivums

 

I think our alpine beds are getting away from us. We were planning on dividing and transplanting this bed this spring, but it didn't happen, and it's certainly not going to happen while we're preparing for the show and sale. Maybe this fall...

Sempervivum 'Bella Donna'

Tonight another alpine, Sempervivum 'Bella Donna'. In most climates (the exception being overly hot and dry climates) these are extremely easy to grow. So easy, in fact, that it's hard to get many people to take them seriously. These are those "hand me down" or "pick some up on the morning walk through the neighborhood" plants. They aren't called "Hens & Chicks" or "Live Forevers" (Semper = forever; vivum = live) for no reason.

But give these plants a second look. They're succulent but do best in cooler climates. They tolerate a wide variety of soils but do best in the worst of soils - with good drainage. Rock gardens, certainly. Green roofs, of course. But not for a house plant, thank you. They like the rough and tumble of outdoor life, year around.

Sempervivum 'Red Beauty'

Another semp we've recently added to our supply is this gem: Sempervivum 'Red Beauty'. As with most sempervivums, the appearance can be quite variable, depending on the light and the soil.

Sempervivum 'Saturn'

Ever since we bought plants from the late Helen Payne of Oak Hill Gardens near Dallas, Oregon (and author of Plant Jewels of the High Country), we've grown and enjoyed a wide variety of Semps. They're great plants with much more to offer than one would guess from their common name "Hens and Chicks". Some of the cultivars are really quite outstanding. This example is called 'Saturn'. In our area they're really quite easy to grow, though I understand that in some of the drier and hotter areas they can present a bit of a challenge.

Being alpine plants they like good drainage and look their best when planted in a strata which isn't overly fertile.