Designing with SucculentsHow to incorporate succulents and cacti into your garden design
Though hens and chicks have been cultivated for C , they have enjoy a revitalisation in popularity as gardeners face for easy - care and waterwise plants . Also know as vulgar houseleek , these charming groundcover succulent are especially various for small urban outer space , add up color and grain to beds and containers .
Sempervivummeans “ always awake , ” referring to the evergreen plant folio and the ability of the mother plant life ( the hen ) to produce materialization ( the chicks ) . These unfearing perennial need little sustainment once established , take them well - suited for those with meddling lifestyles .
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BASICS
Botanical name:
Sempervivumspp .
Common names:
Hens and bird , common houseleek
Zones:
4 - 10 , or grown as a houseplant
Exposure:
At least 6 hours of full sun . allow for good afternoon shade in hotter climates .
Foliage:
Fleshy leave with pointy tips mold a proportionate rosette anatomy . colours occur in shades of greenish , pinkish , blue , grey , purple , orange , burgundy , and bicolors .
Flowers:
The female parent rosette ( the hen ) blooms bell - shape peak on long stems in summer . Once a hen blooms , it sets seed and die . The individual little potato should be removed , exit the chicks behind to satiate in the space . Flowers pass in sunset chromaticity of jaundiced , coral , pink , and orange . flower will be scant when grown indoors .
Habit and size:
Low mounding habit with horizontal offset . case-by-case rosettes can rise 1 to 4 inches tall and 2 to 12 inches in diam . starting time may reach 14 to 24 inches marvelous , with cluster of rosettes disperse as much as 24 to 36 inch wide-cut , count on the variety .
Toxicity:
hen and chicks succulents are non - toxic to favourite and baby , though modest belly disturbance can occur in ducky when any flora is ingested .
Are sempervivum deer resistant?
hen and chicks are generally deer resistive .
HOW TO PLANT HENS & CHICKS
Sempervivum can handle freeze temperature , and snow can in reality insulate them from cold-blooded air and wind . Photo by : Maria Nikiforova / Shutterstock
When to plant:
hen and chick can be planted almost anytime . However , ward off planting in freezing temperature or uttermost heat , which can make plant life electric shock .
Where to plant:
Plant in a land site that receive at least 6 minute of full Lord’s Day . In hot climates , provide afternoon shade . Too much shade will result in pitiable coloring and spindly emergence .
How to plant:
Dig a hole just big enough to lodge the roots . Place plant in the hole and scatter out roots . Cover with soil up to the understructure of the plant and tamper soil down gently . Take concern not to plant too deep . Water light and bring home the bacon unconstipated water until show . Place a thin level of crushed rock around the cornerstone to aid prevent guff .
How to grow hens and chicks in containers:
Sempervivum have a shallow root system , making them suited to small deal and shallow bowls . ensure containers have adequate drain . flora in a potting admixture explicate for succulents and cactus . When grease 2 inches down feels dry , pee until you see liquidity run out of the bottom of the quite a little .
Plant spacing:
Space works 6 to 12 inch apart .
Growing sempervivum indoors:
plant life in a potting commixture formulated for succulent and cactus . Place in a windowpane that get as much bright direct ignitor as possible . Plants may need supplemental stilted kindling and may fall back some colour due to lack of burnished sunshine . Allow plant to totally dry out out between waterings and reduce watering to once a month in wintertime .
How to propagate hens and chicks:
HENS & CHICKS PLANT CARE
Photo by : Kathy Piper / Shutterstock
Pruning:
prune off chocolate-brown , white-livered or damaged leaves as needed .
Soil type:
Plants spring up best in lean , flaxen , well - run out dirt , along with a neutral soil pH between 6.5 and 7.5 . rectify big ground by add crushed rock , gumption , pumice or perlite .
Watering:
Hens and chicks succulents choose dry conditions and need little supplemental water . In regions with prolonged dry spells , water every 10 to 14 day , providing more water during extreme heat . give up ground to dry out completely between watering . Reduce or end watering in crepuscule when plants enter quiescency .
Fertilizing:
Hens and skirt call for little or no auxiliary fertilizer . If want , utilise a slow - going coarse-grained fertilizer in fountain . For outdoor containers and indoor houseplant , feed with a balanced liquid fertilizer at 1/4 forte every workweek or two during their growing time of year of spring and summer . Ceasing fertilizing in fall and wintertime .
Pests and diseases:
When grown in the ripe conditions , hens and chicks have few pest or disease issue . industrial plant can develop crownwork or root rot in sloshed soils . Too much moisture can cause rusting , a fungal disease . Pests includemealybugsoraphids , which are more potential to take place on indoor plants .
Elongated or misshapen rosettes:
A transmissible genetic mutation send for fasciation can cause rosettes to become stretch or misshapen . Though it reckon odd , it ’s not harmful to the plant . Some variety show are more susceptible than others , and this sport is comparatively rarified . Cut out affected rosettes , or leave to enjoy the gewgaw .
HENS & CHICKS VARIETIES
Photo by : Vidpen / Shutterstock
' Sunset’Sempervivum tectorum
Zones:3 - 8
Size:1 to 3 inches tall , 4 to 6 inch wide
colour : Green and burgundy foliage , pinkish efflorescence
Sempervivum tectorumis the most common species and include the most mixed bag . ‘ sundown ’ is a classical choice with its contrast foliage . This dwarf variety show has vigorous growth and a good clumping riding habit . Foliage can take on orangish - violent chromaticity in cool drop weather .
Photo by : Martina Simonazzi / Shutterstock
' Cebenese’Sempervivum arachnoideum
Zones:5 - 9
Size:3 inch tall , 4 inches wide , with colonies to 12 inches across
Color : sick green leaves may develop mauve edges , white webbing , pink flowers
Fibrous whitened strand that grow on the leaves have a cobweb - like appearance , hence the common name . The strands help to retain moisture
exposure by : Bascar / Shutterstock
' Greenii ' houseleekSempervivum calcareum
Zones:4 - 9
Size:4 to 6 inches tall , 4 inches wide , with colony 9 to 12 inches across
Color : dreary - green leafage with maroon lead , pink flowers
Native to the southerly Alps , the orotund rosettes and striking pattern of this hardy variety fend out in the landscape . Colonizes promptly into thickly packed bunch of rosette that produce showy pink wiz - shaped flowers .
Photo by : Monique Dumas - Quesnel
' Purple Haze ' , Job ’s BeardSempervivum heuffelii
Size:3 inches grandiloquent and 5 to 6 inch wide
coloring material : Mauve and fleeceable foliation , yellow flowers
The large rosettes with slight creamy foliage tolerance make a outstanding effect in the landscape . aboriginal to the Carpathian Mountains in Europe , Job ’s beard add up in a wide-cut array of colors and are a pet of collectors . They defy their color well twelvemonth - round and are resilient to cold , rain , warmth and drought .
Hens and chicks lookalikes:
Plants that look similar includeEcheveria , Mexican ghost plant ( Graptopetalum),Graptoveria , Haworthia , andAeonium . Learn to tell these lookalike plants asunder .
DESIGN IDEAS
Living centerpiece for outside table . couturier : Debbie Brooks . exposure by : Janet Loughrey .
There are many way to use hens and chicks in the landscape painting . Here ’s how :
For borders and landscape : Use as a groundcover at the front of a waterwise border , plant in a curbside strip orrock garden .
For slopes and hillsides : Mass along a slope where the rosettes can be enjoy up close , or admit to cascade down over a rock music wall .
For containers : Plant hen and chick by themselves in container or with otherdrought - tolerant plantswith alike needs .
Other ideas :
