Succulents like houseleek (Sempervivum) are very undemanding and easy to care for. With Sempervivum you can create the most beautiful arrangements with a wide variety of materials and in a wide variety of planters - the small plants grow anywhere, as long as it is warm, sunny and dry enough. As with many other alpine plants, a place in the rock garden is ideal for the houseleek.
How to plant houseleek on stone?
To plant houseleeks on stone, you need a planter, drainage material (pottery shards, expanded clay), suitable substrate, stones and possibly horn shavings or compost. Arrange the stones, fill in the substrate and plant the houseleek in the soil.
Benefits of planting on stone
Planting on stone has many advantages, not only for the eye, but also for the plants themselves. Like all succulents, houseleeks are very sensitive to moisture and should therefore be kept as dry as possible. A rock garden or planting on stone ensures that excess water drains away well, as the material cannot store moisture. The larger stones in particular store heat, which they then release directly into their surroundings. The warmth-loving houseleeks will therefore feel particularly comfortable in such a location.
Before planting: Important preparation measures
Before actually planting, it is of course important to make the appropriate preparations. In addition to choosing the planter and decorative elements, this also includes the right substrate. Which planter you choose depends entirely on your ideas, here we provide you with some ideas:
- Plant houseleek on a large stone as a base
- Plant houseleek between several large stones
- Planting houseleeks in the stone bed
No matter which idea you choose: you will always have to use enough substrate, because even the undemanding houseleek cannot survive without soil. So if you want to place the plants on a large stone or between several stones, there must be enough soil either on the stone or in the cracks between the stone so that the plants can root there.
Planting houseleeks on stone
A typical rock garden is quite easy to create:
- Select a suitable planter (e.g. made of clay or another winter-proof material).
- If possible, you should drill at least one drain hole in there for drainage.
- Loose pieces of pottery are placed over this hole to cover it.
- Now fill the bottom layer with expanded clay or something similar.
- Then comes the substrate suitable for houseleeks.
- Now plant the succulents in the ground
- and drape the stones around the plants.
- Pebbles, for example, are very suitable.
Tip
Mix a little horn shavings (€52.00 on Amazon) or compost into the potting soil, but actually only very little!
