Come to a meeting of the Mt. Lehman Garden Club;

third Thursday of each month at 7:00 pm in the Mt. Lehman Community Hall

GARDENING TIPS FOR Winter 2011/2012

SEMPERVIVUM - From the 2011 November/December issue of the BC Council of Garden Clubs Bulletin

Sempervivum is commonly called ‘Hens and Chicks’ in North America because the central tight rosette of fleshy, pointed leaves are cuddled by miniature versions of the central rosette, much like little chicks. They are also known as Houseleeks or Liveforever.

The name ‘Houseleeks’ came about as it was a common practice in the 1200s to plant semps on the roof of homes to ward off evil much like garlic is supposed to ward off witches and werewolves.

Sempervivum is a genus of about 40 species of succulent plants of the Crassulaceae family.

Sempervivums are native from Morocco to Iran, through the mountains of Iberia, the Alps, the Balkan and Armenian mountains, in Turkey and in the Sahara Desert. Their ability to store water in their thick leaves allows them to live on sunny rocks and stony places in the mountain, subalpine and alpine belts.

Like some other plants of Southern Europe, their ancestors have likely a subtropical origin.

The name ‘Sempervivum” has its origin in the Latin word ‘Semper’ meaning always and ‘vivus’ meaning living. They were called ‘always living’ because this perennial plant keeps its leaves in winter and is very resistant to difficult conditions of growth.

Each rosette propagates asexually by lateral rosettes (offsets) or by tiny seed. Usually once the central rosette blooms, it dies leaving a space for the smaller rosettes to fill in the vacant space.

The genus Sempervivum is easy to recognize, but its species are often not easy to identify. Even one single clone can look very different under various growth conditions or even at different times of the year. The members of the genus are very similar and closely linked to each other making many subspecies, varieties and forms. There is a high frequency of natural hybrids and the possibility of back-crossings. Approximately 40 species can be individualized in the whole genus, but there are many more local populations with their own characteristics. For example, in the Alps the most distributed species are Sempervivum tectorum, S. montanum and S. arachnoideum and each one will have several subspecies.

Some members of the Sempervivum family will grow beautifully in pots as long as you make sure there is sufficient drainage.

With varieties in habitats from Zone 4 to Zone 10, there are numerous specimens from which to choose..

“rock” an uneven surface, then line the box with heavy duty plastic.  Proceed as above.  There is no need to reinforce stones with wire mesh.