The well-known plant genus houseleek from the thick-leaf family is not only to be found in their homeland, the European mountains, but also in rock gardens and dry stone walls. Anyone who knows how to interpret its botanical name Sempervivum will immediately understand the reason, because translated it means ‘ever-living’. The name and origin of the houseleek already indicate that it is a frugal, robust and easy-care plant. As soon as they have bloomed, they die including the rosette. Immediately afterwards, new rosettes are formed and the cycle begins all over again.
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plant
A houseleek thrives best when it receives full sunshine. In a partially shaded or shady location, it cannot develop properly, turns gray and, in the worst case, dies. In contrast, blazing sun, prolonged drought and frosty temperatures do not affect this indestructible plant. Houseleek can be planted all year round as long as the ground is not frozen. In addition to the location, the quality of the soil is important for lush growth with numerous rosettes. This should be as permeable as possible and not tend to form waterlogging. Soil that is too heavy at the chosen location is loosened up with gravel, expanded clay and sand. Ideally, add a handful of horn shavings as a biological start-up aid. Then the houseleek can already be planted, is easily poured on and can settle in. However, it takes 2 or 3 years until the first bloom, the play of colors of the thick-fleshed leaves of course beautifies the garden from the beginning.
Plants in the vessel
Houseleek not only adorns the bed, the rock garden or the garden wall, but also thrives extremely well in almost every planter. Hardy clay pots, bowls or flower boxes are particularly suitable. If you look around at home in the basement or in the attic, you might discover an old zinc tub, a tub or a similar container that ends its existence in secret with the help of houseleek and instead decorates the terrace or balcony. As long as the chosen planter has a water drainage hole and defies frosty temperatures, it is suitable for houseleek. Conventional potting soil is used as the substrate, to which a little sand, perlite or gravel is added, and possibly a small portion of compost. Before the selected planter is filled with the potting soil, he receives a drainage made of pebbles, perlite or broken clay discs, which is covered with a piece of garden fleece. Then follows the substrate in which the Sempervivum is planted. Since this plant feels good in the vicinity of stones, nothing speaks against adding one or the other decorative stone as a design element after casting.
Planting by sowing
Houseleek seeds are cold germs and are therefore particularly easy to sow, even if they are really tiny. Sowing in the bowl therefore carries a certain risk that the seeds will receive too much water and rot. The experts among the houseleek friends therefore use small pots filled with nutrient-poor, sandy substrate on which the seeds are scattered and placed outdoors in a cold box in January or February. You can snow in here, because the thawing snow will later wash out the inhibitors of the seeds. As soon as the sun shines stronger in spring, germination begins. Then it will soon be time to prick out the seedlings until, after a few weeks, they are mature enough to be planted in the bed. Of course there is nothing against
maintenance
The evergreen perennial plant is easy to care for and hardly needs any further attention if the site conditions and soil quality are right:
- water only a little;
- do not fertilize in the bed;
- do not use road salt in winter;
- a little liquid fertilizer in the planter;
- does not need a cut;
- regularly check for pests.
As a rule, the rain covers the liquid requirements of houseleek plants in the garden bed or in the rock garden. Experienced hobby gardeners only use the watering can in unusually dry summers. If the perennial is cultivated in a planter that is covered, an application of fresh water is necessary from time to time. The situation is similar with regard to fertilization. In the event that houseleek has been planted as a green roof, slow-release fertilizer should be administered once a year from the third year onwards.
Overwinter
Since Sempervivum are not only remarkably easy to care for, but are also hardy, they do not require any special winter protection in the garden bed or in the rock garden. On the contrary, the evergreen perennials bring color to the garden even in the cold and dark seasons. If the houseleek is in a tub or other planting container, it should be placed on a protected house wall and wrapped with a fleece or protective film to prevent the root ball from completely freezing through. If the ice thaws, the water would not drain quickly enough, and the plant could drown or rot.
Multiply
Once planted in the bed, the houseleek multiplies by spreading the seeds or the formation of daughter rosettes. These runners appear as soon as a rosette dies after flowering in summer – which, by the way, is a completely natural process in this genus of plants. A single variety propagation works best by separating a daughter rosette from the mother plant. It is now up to the hobby gardener whether he would like to first plant it for a few weeks in a separate nursery pot until it forms roots, or whether he puts it in the ground at its new location. The runners are already so robust that they can be cultivated right from the start, like an adult houseleek.
Popular types and varieties
Some particularly popular Sempervivum have asserted themselves within the huge selection of species and varieties, which are briefly presented below:
Sempervivum on the rooftops – Dach-Hauswurz
- also called real houseleek
- forms the largest rosettes up to 20 cm
- Flower shoots reach heights of up to 60 cm
- develops different shades
- Flowers are white, pink or purple
Sempervivum arachnoideum – Spinnweb-Hauswurz
- small rosettes from 0.5 cm to 2 cm
- cobweb-like hairs in summer
- Flowering shoots up to 18 cm high with pink flowers
- also gains a foothold in rock crevices
Sempervivum montanum – Berg-Hauswurz
- forms runners 10 cm long
- Flower shoots grow up to 50 cm high
- spherical rosettes with a diameter of 8 cm
- wine-red flowers with a yellowish center
Sempervivum globiferum – Common French houseworm
- small rosettes with a reddish border
- Flower shoots rise up to 35 cm in height
- yellowish white flowers
- Subspecies also grow in acidic soil
Sempervivum wulfenii – Wulfen-Hauswurz
- Rosettes 5 cm to 10 cm in size
- unusually long, greenish leaves
- mostly with a purple base
- yellow flowers on shoots 10 to 30 cm high
Sempervivum calcareum – Kalk-Hauswurz
- the specialist for calcareous earth
- unusual rosettes with red tips
- Flower shoots are 6 cm to 25 cm high
- white to pale pink flowers
Sempervivum dolomiticum – Dolomiten-Hauswurz
- the hunger artist among the house lice
- small rosettes 1 cm to 5 cm
- hairy, red-green leaves
- Flowering shoots maximum 15 cm high
- red to purple flowers
Sempervivum pittonii – Serpentine house root
- Rarity that only grows wild on 2 mountains
- flat, small rosettes with hair
- dark red leaf tips
- Flower shoots up to 20 cm high
- yellow flowers
Sempervivum grandiflorum – Großblütige Hauswurz
- large, dark green rosettes
- Leaves covered with glandular hairs
- The flower shoots grow to a height of 30 cm
- yellow or white flowers with purple petals
Hybrids
Hookeri
- small, reddish rosettes
- white flowers
Hot Stuff
- Flower shoots 15 cm high
- magnificent, salmon-colored flowers
- Flowering period June to September
Red King
- gray-green rosettes
- striking red leaves in the center
- Shoot becomes high up to 15 cm
- Flowering June to August
treasure
- unusual light green rosettes
- purple leaves in the center
- white to light pink flowers
Bronze pastel
- small reddish-brown rosettes
- delicate white hairs on the leaves
- Flowering shoots 10 cm high
- white or pink flowers
Othello
- deep red rosettes 10 cm tall
- Flowering period June to August
- white to pale pink flowers
There are specialists among houseleek species and hybrids for almost every soil quality. They thrive in calcareous, acidic and poor soil; even in cracks in the rock, different types can easily gain a foothold. When other plant species have long since given up in scorching heat or freezing frost, the robust rosettes of houseleek still proudly stretch upwards.
Diseases and pests
Despite all frugality in unity with an impressive resistance to climatic influences, houseleek is not immune to various diseases and pests. The plant is often troubled by aphids, the larvae of the hover flies and the dreaded black weevil. The voracious nudibranchs like to nibble on the thick-fleshed rosette leaves and fungus gnats make life difficult for young plants. Since all of these pests are common species, there are now a large number of biological, environmentally conscious control agents, such as nematodes, lacewing larvae, soft soap solution or nettle manure. The earlier the infestation is recognized, the more effective the antidotes will be. It is therefore advisable to keep an eye on the houseleek plants regularly,
Conclusion
Without houseleek, many a rock garden, various garden walls and a number of dry, acidic or sun-drenched locations on the house would be left without plants. Sempervivum, as the botanical name is, stands for ‘ever-living’, and the plant certainly lives up to this name. She loves the sun, she doesn’t mind chalky or acidic soil and certainly doesn’t mind freezing frost. It just can’t get used to waterlogging and shade. Once planted, it reproduces itself with the help of daughter rosettes or wind and insects distribute the seeds. The runners form immediately after flowering, when the mother rosette withers after the work is done. Depending on the variety, the flower stems are up to 60 cm high and bloom throughout the summer with white, pink, purple or yellow flowers. The leaves of the rosettes catch the eye with a permanently changing play of colors from green to bluish-gray to dark red. Given these advantages, it is not surprising that houseleek has won many friends among amateur gardeners.