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First time in bloom

BijdezeeBijdezee Posts: 1,484
edited June 2019 in Plants
I've had this for about 3 years and this is the first time I've had flowers on it. Sempervivum. Is the flowering not annual or more if the conditions are right? 


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  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 82,737
    I think I’m right in saying that once an individual rosette has flowered that’s it ... it dies... you’ll need to grow the smaller ones on. 
    “I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh







  • BijdezeeBijdezee Posts: 1,484
    Thanks Dove. On further reading I just discovered that fact, oh well. I have some others to replace them. The flowers are nice though. 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 82,737
    They are. I knew several very old cottages with ‘cat-slide roofs’ that had clumps of ‘houseleeks’ growing on the roof ... said to protect against lightning strike. 
    “I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh







  • RubytooRubytoo Posts: 1,308
    Yours are really nice Bijdezee, are they a particular variety?
    The look larger and pinker than the ones we have.
    Is yours one of the "cobweb" hairy centred ones?

    The smaller ones grow quite quickly to flowering size. Ours are in very poor free draining soil in small terracotta pan (shallow) type pots. 15 to 20 cm diameter size.
    Just stuff some smaller ones in some gritty soil, they pretty much take care of themselves.
    I think the proper way to do it is let the bases dry out a little?
    I repot ours in the summer after flowers so think the warmer weather is enough not to rot them, and they seem to root happily without any fuss.

    I mix the sizes and give them room to grow, that way you get a couple of pots with some always in flower and growing on.

    I pull the old ones out once flowered, they tend to shrivel up anyway, and spread the nearby ones about a bit.

  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,531
    What a stunner, worth waiting three years for.
  • They flower more if they are starved and kept dry. If they are well fed and watered they produce more rosettes instead.
  • BijdezeeBijdezee Posts: 1,484
    @Rubytoo. I don't know the exact variety sadly, they were just labelled Sempervivum, they're not the arachnid ones though, I know that because there's no spiders webbing.

    I will need to fish out the non flowering bits after they're finished in order to start again. 

    I keep them out of the rain as much as possible and tip to pots to help drainage. 
  • BijdezeeBijdezee Posts: 1,484

    I find that they will do quite happily with Black Grass ( can't think of the proper name at the moment ) and dwarf Daffs to make a good container. 
    That combination sounds really good, I've never thought about mixing them with other plants. 
  • RubytooRubytoo Posts: 1,308

    I find that they will do quite happily with Black Grass ( can't think of the proper name at the moment ) and dwarf Daffs to make a good container. 
    Ophiopogon?
    Bijdezee not a problem I just could not quite see, they are nice and redder than ours, and it looked white or fluffy in the centre :)
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