Sempervivum hybrida Chick Charms Key Lime Kiss

Sempervivum Key Lime Kiss, part of the Chick Charms series, is a true green gem for rockeries, flowering pots, mineral areas, and any place where there is almost no soil. Its succulent, small and tightly packed rosettes display extremely bright shades of green throughout the year: water green, jade green, and lime green, with some brick-red tips in spring. This prolific variety produces many daughter rosettes, forming cushions and carpets with extraordinary patterns. 'Chick Charms' houseleeks are low-maintenance 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. The Chick Charms houseleeks have recently been selected in the U.S.A for their unusual colours, easy cultivation, and resistance to root rot.

Key Lime Kiss 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 quickly forms superb colonies of rosettes of different sizes, juxtaposed, only 5 to 6cm (2in) in height and 5cm (2in) in diameter at maturity for the largest ones. Over time, this houseleek can form a dense mat through its stoloniferous stems, spreading over 30 to 40cm (12 to 16in) on the ground, perfectly matching the terrain. Resembling a small artichoke, each rosette is composed of many fleshy, pointed leaves without petioles. The colour changes little depending on the season and climatic conditions, showing a few shades of green, always remaining fresh. The tips of the leaves turn brick-red on young rosettes. Flowering appears on rosettes aged 2 or 3 years, which will then disappear, having ensured the plant's perpetuity through the production of numerous 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-purple. 

Key Lime Kiss 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), for a varied and joyful rockery.