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Art For Sale - Saint Michael Miniature Pen and Ink Drawings
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Our Lady of Guadalupe, stippled ink on genuine sheep skin, a (finished) Work In Progress |
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Guild of Natural Science Illustrators, Inc.
The Society of Tempera Painters
Marians Of The Immaculate Conception
Sempervivums (Crassulaceae)
A great little plant!
ZONE: 5
TYPE: Succulent perennial
SOIL: Well Drained
LIGHT: Full sun
GROWTH: medium to slow
You may know this plant by the name
“Hens and Chicks”, although that term is
used for a few different rosette-type plants, including some Graptopetalums and
Echeverias. Sempervivums are delightful plants. Most varieties are cold hardy to
USDA zone 5., and once established in the garden, expect very little care, just
a weeding around them now and then.
The
Basics: Bright light or full sun. Soil should be very well
draining,
moderately fertile. If set in a garden with other succulents, then fertilizing
is minimal, only if the plants are established, and then in the spring. These
are drought tolerant plants and mine do not require watering more than the rain
provides, but I am in the northeast US. In very arid areas, water once a week
until you find the right schedule. If they are wrinkling, they need more, if
bottom leaves are turning dark or rotting, they are drowning.
Sempervivums come in many different varieties. These include: S. arachnoideum
(the cobweb houseleek), S. pumilum, and S. tectorum. A good book for
identification is “Succulents, The Illustrated Dictionary” by M. Sajeva and
M. Costanzo.
These plants can grow from a tiny ¼” in diameter to over 5 “ in diameter. Blooms are star-shaped, usually dark pink or pink-purple, approximately ½” across. They have several tiny petals that give a delicate yet colorful accent to the garden. Several blooms arise above each plant on 6- 10” stalks. In my yard, I have these pretty blooms from spring through late summer, and sometimes later. Sempervivums are sturdy little plants that spread by runners to create mats of color. They can be used in a rock garden, in alpine beds, in containers, in a drought tolerant garden, in between herbs in an herb bed or grown in the greenhouse or on a windowsill. Their versatility makes them one of my favorite plants!