Sempervivums
GROWING SEMPERVIVUMS & JOVIBARBAS
Sempervivums (and the closely related Jovibarbas) are one of the few groups of totally hardy succulents in the United Kingdom. Sometimes known as Houseleeks or Hen-and-Chickens, they originate from the mountains of central Europe, North Africa and the Middle East growing at altitudes of up to 8000 feet. Despite their Alpine origins, they have been cultivated for centuries, traditionally because they kept away evil spirits and protected against lightening, and require relatively little attention in the garden.
The key to success with Sempervivums, as with all other plants, is to meet their basic needs from the outset. They grow in full sunlight and like very well-drained soil. They can withstand prolonged periods of drought but dislike waterlogged conditions at any time of the year, particularly during the winter. Consequently, they do best in rockeries, raised beds and pots. They are monocarpic, the rosettes dying away soon after flowering, but most varieties produce small offsets on thin stolons which root around the plant and can then be potted on.
I grow most of my Sempervivums in terracotta pots placed on shelving and on the tops of walls. I also have pots arranged on the top of the wood store where they look particularly effective. I plant them in a free draining soil, usually with a good helping of sand or grit to encourage good drainage and with grit or pebbles around the neck of the pot to discourage any rotting of the rosettes and to retain some moisture in high summer.
Once planted the individual plants require very little attention and I usually leave the pots where they are throughout the year. The main jobs which are required are a tidy up in the spring (removing any dead rosettes and moss or weeds which have got into the pots and replacing any ceramic casualties) and an occasional summer watering when it is really dry. Offsets usually spend a few months in a plastic pot before being moved on into terracotta pots.
The biggest frustration with growing Sempervivums is losing the labels. There are thousands of named cultivars and they are virtually impossible to tell apart once the labels have disappeared. However, this is usually an incentive to order a few more varieties online!
Jason Reece
Photo Gallery
NAMED VARIETIES ON SHELVING
SEMPERVIVUMS ON THE WATER BUTT
OFFSETS WHICH HAVE BEEN POTTED ON
SEMPERVIVUMS ON THE WOOD STORE
SEMPERVIVUM 'MAHOGANY'
SEMPERVIVUM 'SPRITE', 'CALIPH'S HAT' & OTHER VARIETIES
East Bridgford Open Gardens
Please consider making a donation towards our good causes.
We hope you enjoy looking at our gardens.