Took the Sempervivum plunge

11 years ago

While relandscaping the strip between my cement patio and my rear lawn I decided to do some hen-and-chicks gardening. I bought one plant and made a small circle of rocks. Then I bought more and more plants and made the rock circle bigger and bigger. Y'all know how that goes. The soil is sandy loam and drains extremely well, always crumbly. Anyway, with July and August still in front of me, I'm wondering how much these plants will fill in this year. Will the chicks double in size... or are they much slower? I want each variety to occupy its own zone within the circle, eventually covering all the soil and occupying the rock crevices. If it takes a couple years to fill in, that's fine.

Did I plant enough chicks?

Will they mind being moist alot of the time? Notice the sprinkler head nearby, and this is the Pacific Northwest. But like I said, the soil is extremely well draining and remains crumbly. And it does dry out in the summer sun.

Featured Answer

User

11 years ago

So pleased that you are enjoying your venture. It is an advantage the way in which they self multiply. Keep an eye on the main - center growth. Sometimes due to their size, a drop too much water can collect in the rosette. This can cause rotting. Perhaps another tip. Once you have several plants doing well, you can break off the segments [leaves] simply insert them into sandy compost, in no time at all you will have even more.

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Comments (8)

Mike McGarvey
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Grass and weeds are going to be a constant problem.
They don't need extra water here in the PacNW.
I plant almost all my Hen and Chicks in containers where weeds aren't much of a problem. They also work in large rock walls with Sedums
Mike
User
11 years ago
Many years ago. I had a friend, Supt. Of a Royal Park in London. An MBE. FRHS. VMH. He had a collection of Semperivivems. Each variety was homed in an earthenware shallow pan. Almost no attention was afforded them. They lived in a cold frame. Come exhibition time, and one or two would appear on the show table. YES. a GOLD certificate was awarded.

From this I learned two things. Perhaps the show bench is not all that true. Also the species aks for no less tah the chance to grow and prosper.
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Mike McGarvey
11 years ago
Here's how I grow them for the most part.

They do fine planted in moss if it's not too shady.

Mike
tcstoehr
Original Author
11 years ago
Very cool Mike.

An update on my Semp planting.... SO MANY CHICKS! Even the chicks are having chicks! Gadzooks. I was worried that they would take too long to fill in but they're really on their way. Some of them that is. Some others are only moderately budding while others still seem to be waiting for spring.... I guess.

And here's the same planting taking a few steps back. It just keeps getting bigger. I just added a third "tier" at the far left which I will have no problem filling up with more semps. Whoever lived here before me left alot of rocks behind... how convenient for me.
tcstoehr
Original Author
11 years ago
Hmmm. Water collecting in the large rosettes. That hadn't occurred to me but does make sense. So I can break off the leaves and make more plants? No way! I think I have too many already. I can see in the future breaking off multitudes of chicks just to keep things from getting to congested.
User
11 years ago
often it is the congestion, as you refer it, that give the species it's attractiveness. My mention of propagating via leaf segments is a practice of nurserymen. Cell propagation is also vastly used.
Mike McGarvey
9 years ago
You may also like to grow sedums. They like the same conditions as the Hen and Chicks. I grow a lot of my sedums on stumps. All it takes is a shovel full of dirt, a few rocks, and some sedums. There are a lot of varieties, just like the Hen and Chicks. I don't have to water them, even in the summer, and an added bonus, no weeding! Well, almost none. Too dry for most weeds.

The groundcover around the stump is a hardy Geranium.