SUCCULENTS > SEMPERVIVUM
IN THIS GUIDE
SEMPERVIVUM GUIDES
As you might imagine , Sempervivum ‘ Houseleek ’ has nothing to do with leeks , the veggie you sometimes use for cooking .
Thatleek , scientific name Allium porrum , is from the genus of flowering plant that include Allium cepa aggregatum , Allium schoenoprasum , leeks , garlic , onion plant , and all the other delicious aromatics that are familiar dinner party ingredients .
This‘leek ’ on the other hand , is a succulent – one of the colourful , trendy , and easy - to - care - for plants that you see in beautiful little showing like the one below .
S. charadzeae
In this template , we ’ve worked withBecky Scott , Co - Owner of the plant greenhouse Sempervivums By Post .
“ Sempervivums are great outdoor plants and soft to look after , ” aver Becky .
“ you may grow them in sens , containers , or in the ground in a rockery . The choice of different colours and physical body is tremendous . ”
If you ’re looking for succulents to grow in your home , Sempervivum should be your first porthole of call .
These fashionable and undemanding plants fetch panache to even the most mundane sustenance outer space .
You may also see this plant refer to as ‘ Hens and Chickens ’ .
“ I love sempervivums and primarily utilize them as houseplants , but I do put them alfresco during the summer and they enjoy it , ” says Tamsin Westhorpe , a professional Gardener .
“ They are great value industrial plant and can be keep in tiny pots . ”
Overview
Preferred SunlightFull Sun
ExposureSheltered
HeightUp to 10 cm
Spread10 - 50 cm
Bloom TimeSummer
Preferred Soil TypeLoam , Sand
MoistureWell drained
pHAny
These plants are evergreen succulents whose name hint at their repeated nature – ‘ Sempervivum ’ means ‘ always alive ’ in Latin.1Sempervivum definition and mean | Collins English Dictionary . ( 2023 ) . InCollins Dictionaries . Retrieved March 23 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/sempervivum
S. charadzeae
Its interesting ocular characteristics are like a shot inviting , and whether you determine to grow Sempervivum outdoors or in a container , you ’re guaranteed a good show .
Common Varieties
There are a figure of course - pass species and thousand of garden varieties in this family , covering a full rainbow of colour .
There ’s no space to introduceallthe varieties here , so we ’ve chosen a handful that have invite the RHS ’s Award of Garden Merit.2Ornamental AGM works . ( 2021b , July ) . Royal Horticultural Society . Retrieved March 23 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf
This miscellany of Sempervivum is a perfect demonstration of the prominent cast and colour palette you may expect from the flora .
Although colours may deviate , they ’ll almost always be as vivacious and engaging as the Guillaumes .
The plant is , by nature , matte - forming – that means it scatter out along the land in dense mats , propagate through ‘ offsets ’ – nigh - grown plant babies that erupt into growth when they touch earth .
Each spiky clustering is call a ‘ rosette ’ , and the thick , sometimes waxy leave contain the flora ’s water supply ; Guillaumes ’ rosette acquire about 2 cm in diameter .
Like all Sempervivum , Guillaumes are naturally hardy thanks to their rugged North African , Middle Eastern , and Balkan heritage .
The coarse houseleek , as this variety is known , has tons of nicknames include ‘ Homewort ’ , ‘ Imbroge ’ , ‘ Poor Jan ’s Leaf ’ , ‘ Welcome - Home - Husband - However - Drunk - You - Be ’ and more .
None of the names give much of a clue about the plant , though .
And none describe its green fading graciously into cryptic red , or the attractive clump of lightly - spiked leaves – nor the complex vividness pallet that the plant provides year - circular .
This is a great little Sempervivum that will make a great feeling on any gardener .
It ’s just as unfussy as other varieties , but farm slimly larger in size – up to about 10 cm .
The boffins amongst you may recognise the ‘ arachno ’ in this assortment ’s name as being indicative of spiders .
Do n’t worry , though : It ’s not named for a disposition to attract these eight - legged critter into your house .
Rather , this houseleek variety is named after its striking cobwebbish aesthetic .
The stringy white hair at the tip of each forefront form a internet around the spiky parting , making an strange and eye - catch visual contribution to any plant life container .
Individual rosettes turn to about 3 atomic number 96 across , and like all Sempervivums , this diverseness is matting - forming .
Expect to see dashes of red year - round , and a bit of pink .
How To Grow Sempervivum
This potpourri of plant likes full sun , and well - drained soil .
It ’s relatively comfortable to care for in the UK because of its origins in demanding environments .
With Sempervivum , the one thing you want to look out for is overly wet winters .
“ If you do n’t provide sempervivums with a mixing of soil and grit , to cater good drainage , the roots can molder in the wintertime pixilated , ” explain Becky .
Although this flora can handle a hatful , it ’ll call for a handwriting being sheltered from the gelid blasts we ’re prone to get subsequently in the year .
you’re able to either cover the plant or bestow it indoors for a winter container holiday .
Youcangrow Sempervivum from seminal fluid .
To do so , set them in throne at least 5 cm in diameter , push the seed gently below the surface , then allow them to germinate somewhere well - lit and at least 21 ° ampere-second for up to 5 weeks .
If all goes well , you ’ll see some germination . In this case , just leave the works to grow for a while , then move onto the next section .
If all does n’t go well , which sadly is more probable with Sempervivum from seed , whack the pots in the electric refrigerator for a couple of weeks , then take them out and put them back in the well - lit warm billet – hopefully this time around you ’ll see sprouting .
Due to how fiddly and unpredictable this unconscious process can be , a lot of people favour to grow Sempervivum from offsets .
This is essentially clone the parent plant life , and is a much more reliable way to grow houseleek .
“ Our advice is do n’t grow sempervivums from seed , ” says Becky .
“ Named multifariousness are much , much better . They ’ve been professionally pick out from huge batches of plants acquire from seed , ordinarily with specifically choose parents to give the best chance potential of grow something different . ”
“ If you ’re lucky , one in a thousand plant you grow from seed might be serious enough – with the balance below criterion . ”
This flora like a well - drain soil , as we ’ve say . Sandy or loamy is effective .
“ We suggest a mix of John Innes and horticultural gumption , ” recommend Becky .
It ’s not a grouchy flora , and will produce well in solitary pots , share containers , flowerbeds , and even gravelly rock garden .
“ It ’s best to grow sempervivums on their own . choose the eccentric you like the look of and immix them up .
“ Do n’t imbed them with other outside succulents , such as sedums , because the latter will spread too fast and take over . ”
Planting Sempervivums is as simple-minded as filling a container with the right type of soil , placing the plant in the stain , then ensuring the solution are covered .
“ Sempervivums spread by offset , but once a russet scab flowers , it will die out , which can leave break in the planting , ” shares Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly .
“ Just replant some of the beginning to fill up the gaps left . ”
You ’ll want to wad the earth as well to give the plant life a secure footing .
Ongoing Sempervivum Care
allow there be unaccented ! Sempervivumslovethe sunshine , and will do easily the more they ’re exposed to it .
If you ’re planting Sempervivums in your garden , give them superbia of billet in the brightest spot .
They ’ll hitch the eye of any visitors , and lend a terrific optic element to your garden ’s aesthetic .
This plant life does n’t typically need much urine .
For the most part , occasional rain should overcompensate your Sempervivum lacrimation needs , but if you ’re going through a drought , a lightness sprinkle every once in a while wo n’t go wrong .
moderate the soil wet with your finger before watering – a good couple of column inch of ground should be mostly dry before you need to add more water .
Common Problems
There are a few pestilence that enjoy dining out on Sempervivum .
This hoverfly larva literally mine the leave-taking of a Sempervivum plant , to get at the good stuff inside .
You ’ll see limp , discoloured leave , and if you try more closely , you ’ll find small maggot .
To see to it folio miner larvae , just pick off and dispose of them when you find them .
deplorably your Sempervivum will observe no suspension from these vulgar garden pests .
Slugs and snails will cover themselves to a short nibble here and a little nibble there , eventually causing monolithic damage if left uncurbed .
To control against poke and snails , you’re able to make a delimitation of sharded deoxyephedrine , apply poisons , or simply slay them manually .
