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Hen And Chicks in the GardenTags plant encyclopedia

Sempervivum 'Purple Beauty'

 

Hen And Chicks

Original:'Purple Beauty' sports medium sized, semi-open rosettes of succulent leaves with deep purple tips and green centers. This color may vary from season to season. This variety requires especially sharp drainage.Sempervivum is comprised of one large rosette called the "hen" which sprouts many smaller rosettes around it called "chicks". As the plants age, the "hen" may die out and be replaced by the "chicks". Plants can be divided easily at any time by pulling up some of the "chicks" and replanting them elsewhere. This plant is particularly effective when planted in the cracks and crevices of stone walls or walkways. It is also very attractive in containers. New:Sempervivums, also known as Houseleeks or Hens and Chicks, are succulent perennials that form rosettes of succulent leaves that will often spread fast to form mats. They tend to spread rapidly in favourable conditions via offsets and are valued as a ground cover for dry, sunny locations. Their ability to store water in their thick leaves allow them to live in sunny and rocky places through out mountains. Most are hardy to US zone 4, and will handle warm climates to about zone 8. Sempervivum grow as tufts of perennial but monocarpic rosettes. Each rosette propagates asexually by lateral rosettes or offsets. Typically, each plant grows for several years before flowering. The colour of the flowers is reddish, yellowish, pinkish, or seldomly, whitish. In Sempervivum, the flowers are actinomorphic (like a star) and have more than six petals. After flowering, the plant dies, usually leaving many offsets it has produced during its life. Sempervivums also make suitable plants for containers, and do well in breathable terracotta, concrete, and cement pots. They have also been known to grow in rock crevices, metal containers, succulent wreaths, roof shingles, and anywhere else that allows adequate root drainage.

Contributed by @carolyn87505

 
plant Features
  • Hen And Chicks likes full sun to partial shade

    Full sun to partial shade

  • Hen And Chicks likes occasional watering

    Occasional watering

  • Hen And Chicks is a little frost hardy: 32f (0°c)

    A little frost hardy: 32F (0°C)

  • Hen And Chicks likes free draining and fertile

    Free draining and fertile

 
plant information

Common name

Hen And Chicks

Latin name

Sempervivum 'Purple Beauty'

type

Succulent

family

Crassulaceae

ph

6.0 - 7.0 Acid - Neutral

  • Light

    Hen And Chicks likes full sun to partial shade

    Full sun to partial shade

  • Frost

    Hen And Chicks is a little frost hardy: 32f (0°c)

    A little frost hardy: 32F (0°C)

  • Soil

    Hen And Chicks likes free draining and fertile

    Free draining and fertile

  • Water

    Hen And Chicks likes occasional watering

    Occasional watering

Plant & bloom calendar

  •  
    Best time to plant

full grown dimensions

The size of a fully grown Hen And Chicks is 0.20meters x 0.20meters 0.20 M 0.20 M

Sempervivum 'Purple Beauty'

Original:'Purple Beauty' sports medium sized, semi-open rosettes of succulent leaves with deep purple tips and green centers. This color may vary from season to season. This variety requires especially sharp drainage.Sempervivum is comprised of one large rosette called the "hen" which sprouts many smaller rosettes around it called "chicks". As the plants age, the "hen" may die out and be replaced by the "chicks". Plants can be divided easily at any time by pulling up some of the "chicks" and replanting them elsewhere. This plant is particularly effective when planted in the cracks and crevices of stone walls or walkways. It is also very attractive in containers. New:Sempervivums, also known as Houseleeks or Hens and Chicks, are succulent perennials that form rosettes of succulent leaves that will often spread fast to form mats. They tend to spread rapidly in favourable conditions via offsets and are valued as a ground cover for dry, sunny locations. Their ability to store water in their thick leaves allow them to live in sunny and rocky places through out mountains. Most are hardy to US zone 4, and will handle warm climates to about zone 8. Sempervivum grow as tufts of perennial but monocarpic rosettes. Each rosette propagates asexually by lateral rosettes or offsets. Typically, each plant grows for several years before flowering. The colour of the flowers is reddish, yellowish, pinkish, or seldomly, whitish. In Sempervivum, the flowers are actinomorphic (like a star) and have more than six petals. After flowering, the plant dies, usually leaving many offsets it has produced during its life. Sempervivums also make suitable plants for containers, and do well in breathable terracotta, concrete, and cement pots. They have also been known to grow in rock crevices, metal containers, succulent wreaths, roof shingles, and anywhere else that allows adequate root drainage.


Propagation

From Early Spring TO Late Winter

Mostly Sempervivums propagate by sending out offshoots, which root and become independent of the parent plant as the connecting stolon withers. Offshoots can be moved once they have reached a sufficient size. The stolon should be cut off at approximately one-half inch from the base of the new plant. This encourages roots to develop at the base of the rosette instead of along the stolon. Push the stolon into the soil, leaving the baby to sit on top of the soil.

 

Planting

From Early Spring TO Early Spring

The three things to remember when growing them are that they prefer full to partial sun (conditions dependant), well drained soil, and occasional water. They can easily be grown in cracks in dry stone walls, hypertufa, troughs, rock gardens, or a poor soil area that does not hold water. Very sandy clay soil is ideal. They will live much longer if carelessly thrown on concrete and forgotten than they will if planted in rich, organic soil and well watered.

 
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