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Sempervivum, Jovibarba, Orostachys and Rosularia

 

I know I am a little Semp crazy, but they are just so cute.

 

Sempervivum

 

Hens and Chicks are so named by the way the multiply by small rosettes of chicks surrounding the mother hen.  Another name given to them is Live Forever aptly named by semper meaning forever and vivum meaning living.  They tend to be very easily grown and will live for a very long time.  They come in a multitude of colours and a wide variety of forms and sizes.  The colour variation ranges from green to purple to red, lavender, orange, silver and two toned.   Colour changes throughout the season with the Semps putting on their best show in the spring.   Some are more open than others, some are very tightly closed.  They may have small white hairs over various parts of their succulent leaves or may be covered in a spider web pattern of fine hair.  There are over 4000 named varieties; they are just as bad as Hosta and Daylily for having such a large genus with so many species.  I am finding that it is very difficult to find properly named varieties.  Although they have been around for a long time, I think people are just starting to take notice of them.

 

They are primarily gown for their foliage much like Hosta, but like Hosta they do bloom, although not as reliably but with good reason.  The blooms on Semps rise up on a stem between 8-12” with a cluster of star shaped blooms usually pink in colour, but can range from green to pink to yellow.  Some people like these flowers and some don’t.  They can be cut off.  But the thing to remember is that the rosette (Hen) that the flower stem rose from will die.  There are usually enough Chicks surrounding the flowering Hen, that when the Hen dies the Chicks have filled in and you will never know it was there.  However, be cautious when buying a pot of Semps.  I have seen in the past, pots with a single, blooming Hen for sale at reputable nurseries.  Once the bloom has past you will have nothing.  Always buy pots of Semps with many rosettes.  Chances if the pot you buy only has one Hen, then it will bloom.  And no nursery should be so cheap as to only sell one Hen.

 

Semps don’t mind clay soil (yeah to Atlantic Canada) but they don’t want to stand in water.  If you soil is more sandy then they do need some moisture (add compost).  They do well at the front of a sunny border, in between rocks in a wall or near a path on a slight slope (to help with water drainage).  From experience and contrary to some books, you can grow them in shade (larger, old-fashion varieties).  They tend to be a bit larger (Hen) and not so many Chicks. Make sure they are well drained.  Semps are also really good for containers.  They will tumble down the sides.  Do inter mix varieties for added colour, texture and size. 

 

Propagation for all Semps are as easy as dislocating a chick and setting it in a pot of soil or right in the garden.  The little chick will form roots and grow into a Hen in a matter of weeks.

 

The following is a list of Semps and others for sale.  The ones with an (*) are in very limited supply and may not be available till later in the summer (2012)  Better pictures to follow.  I increased my collection last year with a major trade with a like-minded Semp collector from British Columbia ( Drought Smart Plants ).  I sell my Semps and others in 4” pots for $5 and the pots are full.

 

 

 

arachnoideum Eucader *    

arachnoideum Montanum

arachnoideum Tomentosum

These species are commonly known as a cobweb Hens and Chicks.  They have longer hairs joining the leaf tips giving the illusion of cobwebs (no spiders required). 

Flowers tend to be pink.

 

Aymon Correvon

Big Blue

Black

Bunny Girl *

Carnival *

ciliosum v. borissi

Ginnies Delight *

Gypsy *

Icicle

Little Bobo *

Maria Laach *

More Honey

Night Raven *

Red Cobweb *

Pilioseum

Plum Pie *

Powellii

Red Devil *

Ruby Heart *

Silberkarneol

Silverine

Sir William Lawrence

Sprite *

Viking

 

Jovibarba

 

Jovibarba hirta is a small species with tightly rounded plants that are more ball-like than Sempervivums.  The Chicks emerge from the middle of the leaves like small marbles and ‘roll’ off to form new plants elsewhere. Jovibarba are typically grown from seed although there are named varieties out there, I have yet to get my hands on any.  I have 3 (not really named varieties) grown from seed.  They are different from each other, hence, they were named by number.

 

J heuffelii is a large species that do not product typical Chicks.  They are propagated by division when the rosettes split in two.  The flower stems are produced from the side of the rosette rather than the centre.

 

Jovibarba hirta I

Jovibarba hirta II

Jovibarba hirta III

Jovibarba heuffelii

 

 

Orostachys

 

Like Sempervivum and Jovibarba, Orostachys form rosettes.  O. spinosa forms a very tight, shrunken ball in the fall through to the spring, where it emerges into a grey-green metallic-like Rosette.  They produce cones of flowers which look like inverted cones or a more phallic and suggestive item.  As with the other ‘Semps’ the Hen dies when she blooms.  They might want a bit of shade in dry sunny climates but I have had no problem with them in my sunny rock garden (Atlantic Canada weather).  Of all the species of Orostachys, O. spinosa maybe the most reliably hardy for my area. 

 

Orostachys spinosa

 

Rosularia

 

This is a delicate cousin to the Sempervivum.  It is not very well known and has been bounce around in various genus over the years.  The main difference is the flower which is more bell shaped.  These are new to me this year and I have not over-wintered them outside yet

 

 

Rosularia chrysantha

Rosularia rechingeri