Sempervivum Chick Charms Cinnamon Starburst

Sempervivum Cinnamon Starburst from the Chick Charms group is part of a new series of hybrid houseleeks known for their hardiness, ease of cultivation, and unique and varied colours. Cinnamon Starburst forms rosettes that resemble water lily flowers. Over time, they are adorned with a unique colour: a vibrant green at the centre, with smaller leaves surrounded by larger, deep cinnamon-red leaves, creating a decorative mosaic. This perennial spreads by producing numerous daughter rosettes, which can be taken and replanted as desired. It is ideal for embellishing arid and mineral areas and requires no maintenance. Houseleeks are very endearing perennials that quickly inspire the desire to collect them!

All houseleeks grow spontaneously in rocky grasslands, on rocks and scree, in open and sunny locations, mainly in mountainous areas. They are hardy succulent perennial plants of the Crassulaceae family that keep their foliage even in winter. 

Cinnamon Starburst has thick and long roots that penetrate deeply into rock crevices, ensuring a good grip on the walls while drawing water from the depths. The plant forms beautiful colonies of rosettes of different sizes, juxtaposed, reaching 7cm (3in) in height and 10cm (4in) in diameter at maturity. Over time, this houseleek can form a dense carpet through its stoloniferous stems, spreading up to 30cm (12in) on the ground, perfectly matching the terrain. Each rosette is composed of numerous spatulate leaves with pointed ends, without petioles, adorned with short white cilia, imbricated with one another. Their colour varies with age: young rosettes are a tender and uniform green, gradually turning reddish-brown only on the periphery. The flowering appears on rosettes aged 2 or 3 years, which will then disappear, having ensured the plant's perpetuity by producing many small daughter rosettes on the periphery. The fluffy flower stalks, 15 to 20cm (6 to 8in) tall, develop from June to August, formed by thick stems that bear 1 to 8 star-shaped flowers with 8 to 12 petals in shades of pink.

Sempervivum Cinnamon Starburst is a boon for gardens where the soil lacks depth. It thrives where few species survive and colonises abandoned spaces. If your soil is poor, rather dry, stony, rocky, or even slightly chalky, you can still enjoy this hardy perennial (which withstands temperatures below -15°C (5°F)). It requires no maintenance and promises to enliven any pile of stones, a wall, or even a green roof. Chick Charms houseleeks are very easy-to-care-for succulent plants, offering flowers and foliage in various hues that will create stunning compositions. Magnificent in their pot arrangements, especially in low terrine-type pottery, they are irreplaceable in borders, troughs, or rockeries, alongside London pride (Saxifraga umbrosa), wall bellflowers, or Lewisia cotyledon. Consider choosing companions with staggered blooms (antennaria, small sedums, delosperma) and colourful foliage (Tanacetum densum subsp. amanii, Ajania pacifica, Hertia cheirifolia), for a varied and joyful rockery.