Sempervivum Silberkarneol

Sempervivum 'Silberkarneol' is a sculptural hybrid variety of houseleek. It produces medium-sized, very tight rosettes, similar to pretty cabbages with fleshy, red-pink leaves, emerald green at the base, bordered and covered with silver bristles that catch the light. It has bright pink star-shaped flowers with a red centre in the heart of mature rosettes in summer. This succulent and colourful perennial will cover neglected, rocky or dry areas well. It requires no maintenance, only dry, poor, sandy or limestone soil, and will not need watering.

Sempervivum 'Silberkarneol' comes from the Arachnoid Houseleek (Sempervivum arachnoideum), a botanical species widespread in mountains. This wild Sempervivum can vary in appearance and lives on rocks or scree. 'Silberkarneol' clings to the smallest cracks to slowly form small colonies of rosettes of different sizes not more than 10 cm (4in) high. With time, it can form a dense carpet spreading over 60 cm (24in) on the ground. Each rosette resembles a small artichoke with a diameter of 3 cm (1in) to 5 cm (2in) with a nest of silver bristles composed of numerous pointed leaves tightly packed against each other in its centre. The plant is green in winter and quickly takes on a pink-red hue in spring and red-brown in summer, while retaining long hairs along the edge of each leaf that catch the sun. Rosettes aged 2 or 3 years will produce 1-5 star-shaped flowers in summer and then disappear, after producing several small rosettes on the periphery. 1 to 5 star-shaped flowers form on thick stems, with 8-10 purple-pink petals and a dark red centre.

Silberkarneol Sempervivum is a gift for rocky gardens with thin soil where few species. If your soil is poor, rather dry, stony, rocky, or even slightly chalky, this easy to grow, hardy perennial (which withstands temperatures below -15°C (5°F)) will enliven any pile of stones, a wall, or even a green roof. Houseleeks are easy succulent plants, with various shades of flowers and foliage allowing for astonishing compositions. Perfect in pots and irreplaceable in borders, troughs, or rockeries, alongside London pride (Saxifraga umbrosa), wall bellflowers, or Lewisia cotyledon, you will want to collect more of these miniature perennials. Consider companions with staggered flowering (Sedums, thymes) and colourful foliage (Bergenia, Euphorbia myrsinites...) for an interesting and variegated rockery.