Sempervivum is also called house garlic, thunderweed and rockrose. This small plant is native to the mountains of southern and eastern Europe. It is a plant that can grow on all kinds of soil. However, it needs very good drainage. Very suitable for use on roofs, in rock gardens and simply in a low container on e.g. the garden table. Sempervivum is a member of the succulent family (Crassulaceae). Like: Moss Flower, Wall Pepper, White Fatwort, Pink Fatwort, Pink Hemlock, Hemlock, Aeonium arboreum, Kalanchoe's and Sedums. It is a plant that can be used in many different ways in the garden. It is a small perennial plant that can withstand sun and drought very well. It is a plant that needs little extra care. All it needs is very good drainage using sand, clay pebbles, gravel or gravel. This plant should definitely not have its roots in water. Better too dry than too wet. Protect the plant well against wind, especially easterly wind. This is important for Sempervivum in pots, containers and outdoors.Add grit, gravel or other drainage material if the soil is not well-drained.
To prevent the fragile leaf rosettes from rotting, add gravel under the leaf rosettes. Do not add compost or fertiliser as this makes the Sempervivum vulnerable to all kinds of (fungal) diseases. If you put the Sempervivum in containers or pots, it is best to use cactus potting soil or potting soil strongly mixed with grit and sand.
This Sempervivum is a mixture of different species and different colours of Sempervivum. After flowering, remove the spent flowers. Sempervivum is easy to maintain. Watering should only be done when the plant is really dry. Water on the soil and not on the rosettes. Water a little every week in spring.In summer too. In winter, you should only water once a month. Do not water too much as this will rot the root and stem of the plant. Most Sempervivums can withstand cold and frost. But it is better to put the plants inside in winter. The plants need a lot of light.
Put them in a window, for example. Repot the plants regularly in spring or summer. Remove the old soil around the roots. Sempervivum can be propagated by sowing, cutting and dividing. The plant itself produces small rosettes that can be used for propagatation. This easy plant can be used in rock gardens, pots, containers, balcony boxes and as a living roof cover. This plant blends nicely with other plants such as: blue cushion, mugwort, fringe flower, famine flower and rosemary. They can also be placed nicely between stones and in walls. This plant can very easily form a carpet. Evergreen. Hardy perennial. Height: 10 - 15 cm.
Indoor sowing: April - Juli
Outdoor sowing: September - October
Germination: 28 - 42 days
Germination temp.: 21 - 24 °C
Sowing depth: shallow
Plant distance: 5 - 15 cm
Plant position: sunny - sheltered
Flowering period: June - July
Sow indoors from April to July in seed trays filled with special cactus soil. Make sure the sowing soil is well moistened. Sow the small, fine seeds as sparingly, thinly and superficially as possible. Keep well moist and warm. The sowing temperature should be at least 21 °C; colder is pointless. Do not let the temperature drop especially at night. Put the lid on the trays to keep the moisture in. If no germination has taken place after about 4 weeks, the seedling should be put in the fridge for a stratification (cold period) of 14 - 28 days. After this, the seedling should be placed warm again. If germination still does not take place by then, the process of stratification and heat should be started again.
Remove the lid as soon as the seedlings emerge. Once the seedlings are large enough to handle, they should be put in separate pots. From early May, the seedlings can be put outside during the day to harden off. Put them outside in the sun during the day for 10 - 14 days. After this, they can be put in a sunny, sheltered spot with good drainage. Sempervivum is also easy to propagate by breaking off the rosettes and potting them up.
Outdoors, seeds can be sown from September onwards. These seeds germinate the following year in spring. They then undergo a natural cold period. Sow shallowly and sparingly in a sunny, sheltered spot with good drainage. Sempervivum is also easy to propagate by breaking off the rosettes and potting them up.
