New to our Sunnyvale garden in 2020 are Hen-and-chicks (Sempervivum tectorum ‘greenii’). This succulent forms a mat of rosettes, each 4″ across and only 2″ tall, in a lovely shade of blue-gray with each leaf tipped in deep red.
Our plant was purchased from Annie’s Annual in Richmond.
Older rosettes produce short stems of pink, narrow-petalled blossoms and then die, to be quickly covered over by new shoots. Hens and chicks are interesting and durable plants for rock gardens, containers, and chinks in walls. Sun or light shade, well-drained soil, moderate watering. Drought tolerant and hardy to below 0 degrees F, this succulent is about as low maintenance as they come.
Producing “chicks” at a fairly quick rate, they’re packed tightly together to completely fill a pot or make a dense, small scale groundcover for a well-drained spot. Cool and effective as an edger, alongside or between steps, tucked in rock walls or grow as a houseplant.
- Common Name: Hens and chicks
- Plant Type: Succulent perennial
- Family: Crassulaceae (The Stonecrop Family)
- Geographic Origin: Central and Eastern Europe
- California Native?: No
- Plant Size: 6 inches+ high
- Landscape/Garden Uses: Mixed plantings
- Flowering Season: Summer
- Flower Color: Light pink
- Exposure: Sun or light shade
- Soils: Well-drained soil
- Suggested Irrigation: Moderate to occasional watering
- Estimated Hardiness: Hardy to 0 degrees F. or less
