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A ‘Blooming’ Good Reason for Growing Houseleeks
Succulents have, by and large, passed me by for most of my green-fingered life. It was only when I began planning my wedding and looking at more masculine table settings and bouquets, that I began to realise just how wonderful Sempervivum (houseleeks) are. Until then I knew them only for nostalgic reasons; they grew on the terracotta slate roof of my nanny’s woodshed. My sister and I used to pull off the ones spilling over the guttering and put them in pots – until, of course, they were forgotten in favour of a chocolate bar or the chance to chase a chicken.
With wedding plans afoot, we quickly grew to love sempervivum and their various forms. It came as quite the shock to know that those plain old green ones were just one of around 40 species. Soon, we were racing round Kew Gardens and Columbia Road Flower Market grabbing up as many as we could find (though it has to be said – our local greengrocer was incredible in her sourcing and we got LOADS from her). Several weeks of splitting, growing on and then a mad day’s potting them into small glass jars with gravel for table decorations, and we were done.
Roses and succulents with the vintage tea setting
One of the large succulent displays
But long after the wedding and festivities have receded, the succulents have stayed. For a long time, I made the error of keeping them inside. They really don’t do very well; even if they’re placed on a sunny windowsill. They tend to get leggy as they reach for the sun. And, though Sempervivum can get pretty much baked it seems, they can also happily survive outside in the winter. So, when we moved, I potted them all up into terracotta pots with a 50/50 soil to gravel mix and put them out on the coal bunker. THIS is what’s happened…..
If there was no other reason for growing houseleeks than the flowers, after seeing these flowers, that would be enough for me. They’re really quite beautiful, and a surprise from a succulent which, whilst architecturally interesting, can’t really be described as stunning.
So, if you’re looking for a space-saving plant which doesn’t need a lot of love (it does require watering and feeding during the growing season though) and can produce a rather welcome surprise now and then, definitely get a few houseleeks for your collection!
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