Scientific name: Sempervivum tectorum
Family: CRASSULACEAE
Common names: “Common houseleek” “hens and chicks”
Plant Type: Evergreen perennial succulent
Conditions:
Zone: 3-8
Light: Full sun
Exposure: Sheltered, protect from excessive winter wet
Soil: Moderately fertile sand or loam, tolerates poorer soil
Moisture: Well drained – dry , drought tolerant
Aesthetic:
Plant Size: H 6-12″ W 6-18″, vigorous
Leaf and Stem shape: Rosettes of succulent, thick glabrous leaves sometimes purple-tipped
Flower: stalks rise from the hen, topped with cymes of red-purple flowers
Maintenance: Low, easy to establish a colony, best time to divide and transplant is in the spring, rosettes die after bloom and should be removed from the garden at that time
Landscape use: Green roof, groundcovers, rock gardens, containers, edging
Propagate: By offset division
Pests & Disease: Stem and root rot if grown in a puddle, vine weevil
*Deer tolerant
Comments: According to folklore these plants growing on a cottage will protect it from fires, leaves can be juiced and used with aloe vera to tree sunburns, young shoots and chubby leaves of this succulent are edible raw, they are crunchy and similar to cucumbers in taste but in large doses they can be purgative and upset the stomach so take it easy if trying it for the first time
