With striking designer-like leaves, cute and colorful rosettes, houseleek (or Sempervivum, also known as Hen & Chicks) is among those few plants that require neither care nor water. Amazing, isn’t it?
“Sempervivum” means immortal, or “always alive”, which describes it perfectly: it is incredibly resistant. It’s a small succulent plant, a perennial that grows on rocks, atop walls, and in arid deserts… Tight rosettes of fleshy leaves, some of them veiled in white strands, spread into colonies as each “hen” throws off smaller “chicks” around it. Give it full sun and sharp drainage, and rain alone will keep it growing.
| Botanical name | Sempervivum sp. |
|---|---|
| Common | Houseleek, Hen & Chicks |
| Family | Crassulaceae |
| Type | perennial ground cover |
| Height | 4 to 12 inches (10 to 30 cm) upon blooming |
| Planting density | 15-30 per sq. yard (/m²) |
| Exposure | full sun |
| Soil | any type, well drained |
| Blooming | early summer |
A hardy plant native to the mountain ranges of Europe, it feels at home in light, poor soil. Whether it’s sandy or chalky doesn’t matter, as long as it gets full sun and heat. A note of caution: you’ll have to “harden” your plant out somewhat before setting it in full sun if all it’s ever had was indoor growing, or it’ll get sunburned.
Houseleek is more than just a filler plant to populate areas where nothing else will grow, its an opportunity to create a plant landscape that knows no restrictions! It only needs minimal water. Even the occasional puddle might lead to a rotten death! Optimal, perfect drainage is it’s only requirement.
As long as it has full sun, houseleek grows in any type of soil, even if it’s very shallow. You won’t need a spade to dig a deep hole for this one: a few inches (maximum 10 cm) is enough.
The planting density depends on how quickly you want to cover a given surface.
As for most succulents, drainage is the most important factor. This plant needs nearly no soil: pure gravel, pebbles or clay balls is perfect. In a pot that drains well, it isn’t very difficult to recreate the perfect growing substrate: mix regular dirt or soil to an equal part of large gravel (or pozzolana, or sand), that’s it!
For succulents, the saucer under a pot isn’t to catch excess water: it’s simply there to protect the furniture underneath, because there should never be any water in it!
What will probably take you longest is choosing the container: vintage? design? sentimental? It should highlight the plant well. Create an arrangement with houseleek, Echeveria and Sedum, since they all thrive in exactly the same environment.
Houseleek is a perennial that is satisfied with very little as long as it has lots of sun. Moreover, the astounding diversity of its many species allows for spectacular landscaping, especially in rocky terrain.
In general, Sempervivums are ideal perennials if you don’t want to spend too much time gardening. Indeed, each houseleek rosette dies after having bloomed. The only thing to do is to pull it out once it’s dried out to make space for a new rosette.
Rest assured: they’ll never all sprout blooms at the same time.
Watering? Just let rain do its thing. Even if it only rains a few times a year, your houseleek will just keep growing – just more slowly, of course.
No plant is easier to propagate than houseleek.
Generally speaking, Sempervivum is a very resistant botanical genus. Nonetheless, some species show occasional traces of rust. As for pests, young leaves might be targeted by slugs and the dreaded black vine weevil (Otiorhynchus sulcatus) which might cause damage on the entire plant depending on how advanced the infestation is: larvae destroy roots, while adults eat the leaves.
The hardiness of houseleek allows for placing in very unhospitable places: rocky terrain, mangers, stone walls, pot compositions.
Slow growth and easy control make the a great choice for adding a little plant life in a mineral rock garden.
They’re also excellent to cover the ground in flower beds. This works best in dry gardens and xeriscaping, but also looks nice in temperate climates, too. The great diversity within the Sempervivums group allows for entire compositions with only plants from the same genus – without getting boring, ever!
However, if you’d like to add even more diversity, you can pair houseleek with other excellent ground cover plants such as Polygonum, deadnettle, bellflower and creeping varieties of stonecrop.
To add volume, medium-sized perennials like Heuchera, Iris and Anaphalis will do great.
From the more than 4000 species that exist, a majority will have either green, red or pink rosettes of all sizes, but a few stand out with yellow and even chocolatey-purple colors. Spectacular!
Summer blooming adds a touch of pink or yellow color, and often brings welcome vertical lines in an often flat-growing plant. With a few delicate snips of the pruner, remove the floral scapes after the blooming and before winter. As for winter, no need to worry: houseleek doesn’t fear the cold as long at it’s dry, it can cope with temperatures as low as 5°F (-15°C).
The diversity within the genus is what makes whole compositions of houseleek alone possible. Here is how the three species described below differ in foliage and bloom.
| Species | Common name | Rosette and foliage | Flowers |
|---|---|---|---|
| S. arachnoideum | Spiderweb houseleek | Small, dense rosettes veiled in white strands | Reddish-pink |
| S. ciliosum | — | Leaves covered in lash-like silks | Yellow, in early summer and midsummer |
| S. tectorum | Rooftop houseleek | Green rosettes dappled with tan-red hues at the tips | White to pink |
Whichever you choose, the growing conditions are the same: full sun and sharp drainage.
This Fall, adopt a hybrid red houseleek with truly one-of-a-kind flamboyant colors. This newcomer will bring a touch firelight to the garden over the cold season – but its foliage will turn green again in Spring.
The Chick Charms Gold® Nugget is unique in that it shows its colors in Winter, unlike the other more traditional varieties that turn red in Summer.
Like all other Sempervivums, it propagates spontaneously through its numerous rosettes. It forms a stunning ground cover, even a bit hypnotic. The Chick Charms® series numbers quite a few other specimens that will surely catch your eye…
Claire Lelong-Lehoang
