Hen & chicks
Sempervivum Platform
Debbie Teashon
If you believe all hen & chicks look alike, take a closer look. The common name has a variety of succulents that fall under its umbrella. In the colder regions, the hardy Sempervivums are commonly thought of as hen & chicks. In warmer climates, the tender Echevarias share the same common name. The same goes for the hardy Jovibarbas and tender Graptoverias.
The common name came about because each plant grows and produces plants (chicks) around their perimeter. You can easily pull the chicks off and replant in other areas where they will readily root themselves into a permanent position.
I found this platform with an open basket weave tucked away in the corner of a nursery. I lined the basket with sphagnum moss, although a coco fiber will work too. After I filled the basket with potting soil, I planted the hen & chicks, and covered the soil with granite chips.
Since these succulents are monocarpic, when the hen flowers, that is the end of her life. However, she produces enough babies to take over her position when she dies.
The chicks will grow over an edge in search of a place to root, and dangle by their stems that are still attached to the mother plant. Later in the year, many of the chicks draped over the side of the basket, which added to its charm.
Sempervivum 'Silberspitz' buds and flowers.
Hen & chicks — named cultivars
- Sempervivum tectorum var. calcareum
- Sempervivum 'Highland Mist'
- Sempervivum 'Kappa'
- Sempervivum "Silver Cup'
- Sempervivum arachnoideum 'Cebenese'
- Sempervivum 'Andrenor'
- Sempervivum 'Blue Boy'
- Sempervivum 'Red Delta'
- Jovibarba hirta 'Histoni'
- Jovibarba Yellow-green form
- Jovibarba heuffelii 'Sunny Side Up'
Other containers with succulents
If you like growing succulents here are some more ideas for containers.
- Aphrodite's Hat
- Driftwood Containers Come to Rest In a Seaside Garden
- Bird Cages and Succulents
- Succulent Plants in a Globe
- Aeonium and Company
- Echevaria Globe
- Stacked Pot Surprise
- Hair of Sedum and Sempervivum
Gardening for the Homebrewer: Grow and Process Plants for Making Beer, Wine, Gruit, Cider, Perry, and More
By co-authors Wendy Tweton and Debbie Teashon (Rainy Side Gardeners)
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