Sempervivum 'Silverine'

Sempervivum 'Silverine': Frosted Silver Rosettes That Cool Things Down

'Silverine' looks like it got silver-plated for its anniversary. Big rosettes of pointed silver-green leaves, flushed reddish-purple at the base like a blush it can't hide. SHINY AND A LITTLE SHY.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Sempervivum 'Silverine'
• Common Name: Hens and Chicks
• Height: 10 cm (4 in), taller when in flower
• Spread: 15–30 cm (6–12 in), widening as offsets form
• Flowers: Deep pink, starry flowers on short spikes from mature rosettes
• Bloom Time: Midsummer (July to August)
• Foliage: Large evergreen rosettes of pointed, silver-green leaves flushed reddish-purple toward the base

Where to Plant: Plant it in troughs, rock gardens, gravel beds, wall crevices and containers on a sunny patio, all in lean, dry soil. The silver tone cools down hot colour schemes and lights up dark corners of a rock garden.

Companion Plants: Give 'Silverine' a sunny gravel bed or wall with a small white iris, raspberry coneflowers and rose yarrow. Iris 'Dream Stuff' opens small white and yellow bearded iris at 25 cm in May and June. Echinacea KISMET® 'Raspberry' adds raspberry coneflowers at 40 to 45 cm from June to October. Achillea New Vintage™ Rose brings rose-pink heads at 66 to 71 cm from June to August. Schizachyrium Prairie Winds® 'Brush Strokes' grows to 80 to 90 cm in powder blue.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun in gritty, very well-drained soil. Avoid heavy clay and spots where meltwater sits in spring. In containers, use a cactus mix and a pot with a drainage hole. Water to settle it in, then only in long dry spells. No fertilizer needed. Full sun keeps the rosettes tight and the colour strong. A rosette dies after it blooms. Remove it with its stalk and the surrounding chicks will fill the space. Divide offsets any time in the growing season.

History: 'Silverine' is a garden hybrid, and some growers credit the name to MacPherson. The genus name Sempervivum means "always living" in Latin, and the wild species come from the mountains of Europe and western Asia.

Final Thoughts: Plant it in a trough or a sunny crack and watch the chicks pile up. Deer pass. INVEST IN SILVER. IT ONLY GROWS.