Chlorophytum Comosum "Hen & Kuiken" 19cmHanging Basket

🌿 Hen and Chickens

Botanical Name: Sempervivum spp.
Common Names: Hen and Chickens, Houseleek, Liveforever, Sempervivum

📌 Product Description

Hen and Chickens (Sempervivum spp.) is a hardy succulent perennial admired for its rosette-shaped foliage and its ability to produce numerous offsets, or “chicks,” around the main “hen.” This low-maintenance plant is perfect for rockeries, succulent gardens, container displays, and green roofs, and adds an architectural touch with its compact, symmetrical rosettes.

Hen and Chickens are extremely drought-tolerant, thriving in full sun and well-drained soil. They are ideal for South African gardens looking for water-wise, hardy, and decorative plants.

📏 Size When Fully Grown

• Height: 5 – 15 cm
• Spread: 10 – 30 cm (clumping with offsets)
• Growth Habit: Low-growing, clumping succulent
• Growth Rate: Slow to moderate

🌱 Best Growing Conditions

• Light: Full sun to partial shade
• Soil: Very well-drained soil; sandy or rocky soils preferred
• Water:
  • Very low water requirements
  • Allow soil to dry between waterings
• Feeding: Minimal feeding required; a light succulent fertiliser in spring
• Maintenance:
  • Remove dead or dried leaves
  • Offsets can be separated to propagate new plants

🌦️ Planting & Growing Season (South Africa)

• Best Planting Time: Spring to early summer (September – November)
• Growing Season: Active growth in warmer months
• Flowering Season: Summer (produces star-shaped flowers on tall stalks)
• Climate Suitability: Temperate, arid, and coastal regions
• Frost Tolerance: Tolerates light frost; protect in severe frost

🌼 Additional Benefits

• Extremely drought-tolerant and hardy
• Perfect for rockeries, containers, and green roofs
• Attractive rosette form year-round
• Easy to propagate from offsets
• Low-maintenance and long-lived

🌿 Ideal Uses

✔ Rockeries and succulent gardens
✔ Container displays and patios
✔ Roof gardens and xeriscapes
✔ Border accents
✔ Gift plant or small landscape feature