Sempervivums, better known as houseleeks, are hardy evergreen succulents that grow in tight, geometric rosettes. The name means "live forever", which tells you how tough they are. Sempervivum care is about as simple as it gets: in the UK they'll grow outdoors all year and need almost nothing from you.
Hens and chicks
People often call sempervivums hens and chicks. Each mature rosette (the hen) produces small offsets (the chicks) around its base, and over time one plant becomes a dense cushion of rosettes.
Where to grow sempervivums
Pick a sunny spot with very sharp drainage. Sempervivums are ideal for pots, troughs, gravel gardens, rockeries, wall tops and green roofs. They're fully hardy. Winter wet is more of a danger to them than cold, so good drainage is more important than shelter.
How to plant houseleeks
- Use a gritty mix. In pots, roughly half compost and half horticultural grit works well.
- Plant shallowly, so the base of the rosette sits on the surface.
- Top-dress with grit or small stones to keep the rosettes dry.
- Water lightly to settle the roots in.
Watering
Only water when the soil has dried out, and never let pots stand in water. In the ground outdoors, established plants hardly ever need watering. On a bright windowsill indoors, a little water every couple of weeks in summer is usually enough, and less in winter.
What happens after flowering?
In summer a mature rosette may send up a tall stem with star-shaped flowers on top. Each rosette flowers once and then dies. This is completely normal. The chicks around it keep growing, so just twist out the old rosette when it's finished and the gap will soon fill.
Growing more
Gently pull off a chick with a bit of root attached and press it into a pot of gritty compost. Keep it barely moist until it settles in. That's all there is to it.
The cobweb houseleek
Sempervivum arachnoideum, the cobweb houseleek, is covered in fine white threads that stretch across each rosette like a spider's web. It's one of the most striking houseleeks, and it makes a lovely small gift.
Browse our sempervivum collection, or see our houseleeks in gift pots.