Sempervivum 'Sunset'

Sempervivum 'Sunset': Green Rosettes With Fiery Orange Tips

'Sunset' wears emerald green with red tips all summer, then turns the tips orange in cool weather like it's posting the same view every evening. SUNSET ON REPEAT.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Sempervivum 'Sunset' (often listed as Sempervivum tectorum 'Sunset')
• Common Name: Hens and Chicks
• Height: 8–10 cm (3–4 in), taller when in flower
• Spread: 10–30 cm (4–12 in), widening slowly as offsets form
• Flowers: Pink, star-shaped flowers on short, thick spikes from mature rosettes
• Bloom Time: Mid to late summer (July to August)
• Foliage: Evergreen rosettes of emerald green leaves tipped red in summer and orange in cool weather

Where to Plant: It fits rock gardens, troughs, gravel beds, wall crevices and patio containers. Grouped together, the rosettes form a low, warm-toned carpet along a dry, sunny edge.

Companion Plants: Plant 'Sunset' in a sunny gravel bed or wall with rainbow lewisia, blue salvia and lavender beardtongue. Lewisia 'Rainbow' adds funnel-shaped flowers in mixed colours at 15 to 25 cm in May and June. Salvia 'Bumbleblue' brings blue spikes at 30 to 35 cm in June and July. Penstemon 'Onyx and Pearls' adds lavender and white tubes on dark stems at about 107 cm in June and July. Pennisetum 'Hameln' arches at 50 to 70 cm with soft fountain-grass plumes.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun in gritty, very well-drained soil. Avoid heavy clay and low spots where water lingers, especially in spring. In containers, use cactus mix and make sure the pot drains. Water until it's established, then only during long dry spells. No fertilizer needed. Full sun brings out the warmest colour. Rosettes die after they flower. Remove the spent rosette and stalk, and the chicks will fill in. Separate and replant chicks during the growing season.

History: 'Sunset' is a garden selection whose breeder we couldn't confirm, often listed under Sempervivum tectorum, the common houseleek. The species name means "of roofs," because people in Europe once grew it on rooftops, and folklore said it protected the house from lightning.

Final Thoughts: Sun, grit and a little neglect is all it asks. Deer move on. PULL UP A LAWN CHAIR AND WATCH.