Sempervivum 'Kalinda'

Sempervivum 'Kalinda': Warm Red Centres, Coral Tips

This hen looks like it just got back from the nail salon. Green rosettes blushing red in the middle, every tip painted coral-pink. A MANICURE THAT NEVER CHIPS.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Sempervivum 'Kalinda'
• Common Name: Hens and Chicks
• Height: 10–15 cm (4–6 in), taller when in flower
• Spread: 20–30 cm (8–12 in), widening as offsets form
• Flowers: Light pink, starry flowers on short spikes from mature rosettes
• Bloom Time: Summer (June to August)
• Foliage: Evergreen rosettes of green leaves flushed red toward the centre, with coral-pink tips

Where to Plant: Use it in rock gardens, troughs, gravel beds, wall crevices and shallow containers. It also works as an edging along a hot, dry path where other plants struggle. In a mixed bowl, it adds warm colour without stealing the whole show.

Companion Plants: Plant 'Kalinda' in a sunny gravel bed or wall with garlic chives, blue false indigo and white hollyhocks. Allium tuberosum adds white garlic chive flowers at 45 cm in August and September. Baptisia australis brings indigo-blue spikes at 90 to 120 cm in May and June. Alcea 'Polarstar' rises at the back to 150 to 180 cm with white hollyhocks. Muhlenbergia capillaris adds a fine clump that turns into a pink haze in September and October.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun in gritty, very well-drained soil. Add sand or fine gravel to heavier soils. Avoid low spots where water sits in spring. In pots, use a cactus mix with good drainage. Water to establish, then rarely. No fertilizer is needed. Strong light brings out the best colour. Rosettes that flower will die after blooming. Remove the old rosette and its stalk, and the chicks around it will fill in. Divide or move chicks any time in the growing season.

History: 'Kalinda' is a garden hybrid; we couldn't confirm its breeder or date of introduction. Its genus, Sempervivum, comes from the mountains of Europe and western Asia, and in parts of Europe people grew houseleeks on their roofs for centuries.

Final Thoughts: Sun, a dry spot and absolutely no fussing. The chicks will take it from there. LOW MAINTENANCE, HIGH GLAM.