For about four months earlier this year, I was buying up succulents seeking unique, striking plants, and I wanted to know the names of them. But one of my first purchases was a batch of no-name Sempervivums from Plants for Pets via Amazon, January 29. Three of the seven entities received in that box perished in the Semperpocalypse of Feb. 19 when I found out that "hardy" does not necessarily mean a plant can survive the cold in a small pot sitting on a bench. Originally I thought the dried-up little ball that eventually came to life was related to the webbed Unknown #1, which perished, but now I think it is a different variety. Also no longer with us are #2 and #4. For what seemed like an eternity in late winter and early spring, the surviving Sempervivums just existed and never did anything. I started taking them for granted as I was accumulating Echeverias and other species. But the past six weeks or so, that has changed dramatically. Unknown #3 (third image) changed color, has produced lots of offsets, and has grown a lot. The story of Unknown #5 is an ongoing tale of death and rebirth being told in the blog post "Death of a Sempervivum," which I updated today.
And then there is #6. The green and burgundy of the two original rosettes and now its two big offsets were glowing in this evening's golden hour light. I counted six more offsets developing. I still have it in the 4-inch pot I gave it five months ago.
As I found out with #3, going with a 6-inch pot may not be enough. I feel like ripping out my onion patch in the greenhouse and converting that planting bed (almost 13 square feet) to hardy succulents now rather than waiting until fall. That still not be enough room for all the Sempervivums, Sedums and Delospermas, so I'm also looking at converting another bed which is 16 square feet.
Here is #6 on January 29.
Here is today's image of #3. I potted it up to a 6-inch a month ago and the offsets are way past the rim. Some of the offsets are sending out roots, searching for somewhere to land.
The three unknown survivors (not including the little ball) have been living on the west-facing patio at the house. They are under cover and don't get direct sunlight until late afternoon, but any doubt about whether they get enough light there is dispelled by their coloration. I also have one other Sempervivum on the patio, and I do know its name: Chick Charms 'Powdered Pastry.' Its offsets have been growing but unlike #3 have not spilled out of the pot. Here it is today:
This image is from April 8. It doesn't have as much webbing now, but has definitely grown.
Thirteen other Sempervivums are at the greenhouse, ten on a high shelf and three in a large grow bag. There are some interesting ones, but there's a reason I chose the four to display at the house. The four, especially the three unknowns, have exhibited the most dramatic changes.
