Red tipped houseleek 'Calcareum'
Sempervivum tectorum 'Calcareum'
Houseleeks are easy to grow perennial succulents and form dense tufted mats which will flower in summer after a year or so of growth. They reproduce by forming new rosettes all around the edge of the original plant, which you can either remove and reroot elsewhere or leave in situ to allow the area covered to increase in size.
Our online plants are shipped as bare rooted — no pots.
Houseleeks only produce minimal roots so it is not feasible to ship successfully in a pot with compost. They are ready for you to plant in a position of your choice by pushing them into a shallow indentation in the soil surface, where they will happily root away.
Do bear in mind that houseleeks can alter in colour throughout the year with the temperature and light levels.
Sempervivum are the most frost resistant of succulents, making them popular as a garden plants.
They grow best in dry, sunny conditions and will not tolerate soggy roots especially over the winter months.
They thrive on neglect and will grow in minimal soil conditions like cracks and crevices in walls,
and as part of a living roof with just a few cm of soil cover to anchor in.
Shallow containers make an ideal way to grow your houseleeks, especially well draining terracotta,
concrete pots and old sinks.
A layer of grit over the compost surface will help prevent the lower leaves from rotting on contact with damp soil,
and also enhance the houseleeks by showing off their shape.
Sempervivums are native to a mountainous band across Southern Europe,
the Middle East and North Africa stretching around the Mediterranean.
Their thick fleshy leaves allow them to store water and thrive in sunny, stony and rocky habitats.
Traditionally when planted on roofs they are believed to ward off fire and lightening strikes,
the Anglo-Saxon word leac means plant – so literally a plant grown on the house!
Their herbal uses are detailed by the famous herbalist Culpepper,
and the juice from the leaves is said to be useful to stop diarrhoea,
and also treat burns and insect bites in a similar way to aloe vera.