As a perennial of superlatives, the indestructible houseleek thrives in places that other plants avoid as much as possible. It retains its distinctive silhouette in bitter cold, sweltering heat and desert-like dryness. These answers to frequently asked questions explain why you can't do without this wonderful problem solver.
What makes houseleek the ideal easy-care plant?
Houseleek (Sempervivum) is a robust, undemanding perennial that thrives in sunny, dry locations. They require little to no care, no additional nutrients and can tolerate extreme temperatures. Perfect for beds, rock gardens, dry stone walls or barren roof gardens.
Planting houseleeks correctly
So that enchanting garden pictures with houseleeks can take shape successfully, plant the thick-leaved plants in a sunny location. If the soil quality does not come close to the ideal sandy-dry conditions, add sand, fine grit or expanded clay to the soil. How to plant correctly:
- Dig small pits at a distance of 10-15 cm
- Unpot the houseleek, insert it in the middle and fill the hole with substrate up to the bottom two leaves
- Do not add compost or other fertilizer to the excavation
- Pour in sips at a time, making sure to avoid waterlogging
If houseleek has the task of creating picturesque images in the planter, the planting process is similar. A suitable substrate is lean cactus soil (€12.00 at Amazon), enriched with sand and lava granules. Additionally, insert small pieces of clay or pebbles between the floor opening and the substrate so that they act as drainage.read more
Care tips
As a botanical ascetic, houseleek lives in beds and pots according to the minimal principle. If it receives the smallest possible dose of everything, the perennial will be at its best. This applies to water and nutrient supply. The only exception is their insatiable hunger for sunlight. The individual factors of proper care therefore fit on a beer mat. That's what matters:
- Do not fertilize houseleeks
- Only water during summer drought
- No pruning required
- Remove the withered flower including the dead rosette
No preparations need to be made for overwintering in the bed. If the stone rose thrives in a pot, place the container on a block of wood in front of a south wall protected from the rain in winter. A cover made of bubble wrap or jute ribbons keeps the frost away from the root ball.read more
Which location is suitable?
So that the stone rose can perfectly showcase its fireworks of colors and shapes, it requires a location in full sun. Here the blazing sun can also dominate during the hot midday hours in summer without the perennial becoming weak. Use houseleek to green the rock garden, the dry stone wall, the gravel bed or the barren roof garden, because the thick-leaf plant won't let you down here.read more
The correct planting distance
The majority of houseleek species reach a width of 10 to 20 cm, regardless of their individual height. So you are right with a planting distance of 10-15 cm in order to decorate an area completely with the beautiful rosettes. For larger areas, we recommend 20 to 30 specimens per square meter.
What soil does the plant need?
Houseleek prefers dry, mineral soil. Therefore, choose a location with sandy-gravelly and well-drained soil, which can be calcareous. In common, nutrient-rich soil, the rock rose will fall far short of expectations. In order for Sempervivum to exude its pithy charm in the pot garden, a lean cactus soil should be used as the substrate, optimized with sand and lava granules.read more
What is the best time to plant?
Planting time for houseleeks in containers is throughout the entire growing season. In order to offer the delicate, striking perennial the best conditions for a start in life, we recommend the months of April/May and September/October as the ideal planting time. Especially in the warm autumn soil, a young stone rose quickly takes root and surprises with a flower in its second or third year.
When is flowering time?
In the period from June to the end of July, the white or pink inflorescence rises above the magnificent rosettes of leaves. The sunnier the location, the more colorful the display of single or double flowers. Do not cut off the withered inflorescence too early, because the seed heads also look very decorative. Since the entire rosette dies at the end of the flowering period, it is removed along with the withered flower stalk.
Cut houseleeks correctly
When you see delicate stone roses, no one would think to use scissors. That's a good thing, because these perennials don't need to be pruned for shape or maintenance. If the first and only flower appears between the ages of 2 and 3, cleaning or pruning is also out of the question. At the end of the flowering period, the rosette that produced the inflorescence dies. Their remains are completely removed from the ground, but the neighboring shoots and secondary rosettes are not touched, as flowering can be expected here the following year.
Watering houseleeks
With the watering can in your hand, you will rarely set out to see a house leek. The succulent ornamental plant has its own water reservoir, which it fills up in rainy seasons in order to draw on it during droughts. In contrast to drought, waterlogging causes significant problems. Therefore, only water in exceptional cases when life-threatening drought prevails.read more
Fertilize houseleeks properly
Fertilizer in any form affects the vitality and color beauty of houseleeks. This applies both in the bed and in the pot. If additional nutrients reach the stone rose, masty growth occurs, accompanied by off-colors and rot. In the planter, Sempervivum receive a sufficient amount of nutrients if they are repotted into fresh substrate every now and then.
Wintering
When it comes to overwintering, the houseleek once again proves that it is one of the easiest perennials to care for. In the bed, the stone rose survives the cold season without any special protective measures. We recommend taking the following precautions only in the bucket or balcony box so that the root ball does not freeze:
- Before the first frost, place the planter in front of the south wall of the house on a block of wood
- Wrap the pot or planter thickly with bubble wrap
Don't carry the little beauty into the house because she won't survive there. Only in the unheated, bright garage or the cold box is there a chance of getting through the winter he althy behind glass.read more
Propagate houseleeks
Before a houseleek begins its final life's work in the form of a flower, the plant has already taken care of its own offspring. Runners and daughter rosettes thrive in the immediate area, so that over the years a dense carpet of Sempervivum develops in the bed and pot. These kindles make excellent propagation material. How to do it correctly:
- The best date for vegetative propagation is spring
- Separate fully formed secondary rosettes from the mother plant
- Place in the dry, sandy soil at the new location and water lightly
For propagation, use daughter rosettes that come from a mother plant that is at least two years old. These are developed to such an extent that they can survive the stress of separation unscathed.read more
Houseleek in a pot
Since houseleeks need fresh air and the cold stimulus of winter for vital growth, they are unsuitable as houseplants in pots. The perennials make up for this shortcoming by accepting almost any container as a home as long as it has a drain. The stone rose was already spotted in old shoes, into which a little soil was quickly filled. Sempervivum adorn the farm garden in disused washtubs. The effort required for care can be counted on one hand:
- Only water a little when there is no rain
- Houseleeks with wet feet inevitably die
- Fertilizing and cutting are not necessary
If winter is at the garden gate, place the pot on a wooden block or a Styrofoam plate. Covered with bubble wrap, the perennial stays in the open air because the cold stimulus contributes significantly to its vitality. If in doubt, carry the pot into the unheated, bright garage or put it in the cold box until Grim Reaper has run its course.read more
Is houseleek poisonous?
Since the Middle Ages, houseleek has been used in a variety of ways as an ornamental, medicinal and food plant. The legendary herbalist and nun Hildegard von Bingen praised the broad spectrum of effects for all kinds of ailments. The valuable ingredients heal skin irritations, relieve burns, eliminate warts and are even said to be effective against deafness. There can therefore be no question of any toxic content in Sempervivumread more
What are the best planting ideas with houseleek?
The frugal houseleek decorates every conceivable vessel with its magical rosettes. Search the entire house right up to the attic. Visit flea markets and antique fairs. We have listed some of the most beautiful planting ideas for you here:
- In an antique tin teapot
- Remove the upholstery from a chair, fill it with soil and plant it
- Fill the curved side of a roof tile with substrate and insert houseleeks
- Convert a disused bundt cake tin into a planter
- Provide a large ladle with a water drain and plant it with a stone rose
Beautifying old leather shoes with houseroot has become a classic. What is new, however, is the concrete Gugelhupf, in the middle of which Sempervivum can unfold wonderfully.read more
Trivia
Hauswurz's middle name has been Dachwurz for generations. In some regions the plant is called thunderroot or thunderwort. This title is based on the historical tradition that numerous houseleek species were said to have magical powers. Planted on the roof, the plant is said to protect the house from lightning strikes. This belief manifested itself in an order from Charlemagne that every roof be populated with this plant. The fact is that roofs planted with roof root were less likely to be struck by lightning. This is less due to magic than to the fact that such roofs are not as dry and therefore not easily flammable as a bare roof.
Beautiful varieties
- Cono: Spherical rosettes whose olive green leaves boast rich red tips; Growth height 5-10 cm
- Cobweb houseleek: Covered with delicate webs, it creates a picturesque look; Growth height 10 cm
- Bronze-Pastel: The rosettes enchant with their changing play of colors over the course of the year; Growth height 10-15 cm
- Othello: Impressive giant houseleek with red-brown rosettes and pink flowers; Growth height 15-20 cm
- Himalayan houseleek: Delights with white flowers above spherical, evergreen rosettes; Growth height 3-5 cm
- Emerald: A green gem among the Sempervivum for beds, pots and stone systems; Growth height 15-20 cm
