I’ve never written about or shared any photos of Hens and Chicks succulents plants before. So in this blog post, I thought it be nice to give them some visual bandwidth.
At the xeriscape gardens I’d frequent in Colorado I’d see them all over. Other than noticing their rosette formed clusters – which were quite prolific, I’d more or less pass them by. Occasionally I’d snap a photo when I saw one of the offshoots sprouting with its little flowers. But at that time I did not even know what they were called? It’s definitely an odd name for a plant.
Funny name aside, after encountering them again in Santa Fe, I took more notice. And from my neighborhood wanderings I found a front yard filled with these succulent plants!! Winner, winner!
What Are Hens and Chicks?
“Hens and Chicks, Sempervivum, are drought tolerant succulents that grow very well in full sunlight and poor soil conditions”. They are hearty little succulent plants with their distinct rosette forms. They grow in these low to ground clusters and do spread on their own. In my own observation, the rosette form of this little succulent is similar to looking down onto an agave/century plant. It also has similar visual attributes to an artichoke.
The mother plant is known as “The Hen”. The flowering stalk or offshoot is the Chick. The Hen ultimately dies after blooming. However, as she decays she leaves leaf litter and a hole which gives nutrients and allows little ones to grown into that empty space. The process repeats itself over and over as each offshoot (Chick) ultimately becomes a Hen themselves and thus producing more chicks.
This photo gives you a nice idea of the plant in its rocky garden. You can see the rosette clusters of the mother plants or Hens. And there’s even a Chick offshoot complete with a pretty little pink flower.
These particular plants with their thick, green leaves and trimmed in a dark mahogany make for a lovely contrast of colors.
Pretty Little Flowers
The Chicks or offshoots from the mother Hen begin growing outwards and produce little buds which eventual flower. The delicate little flowers can be in various shades of pinks and white. Pretty, pretty
Getting close-up you can see all the flower details which are very interesting. Given how low to the ground these grow, unless you do get up close you really do miss out. Now I pay much more attention!
Perennial Hens and Chicks will return yearly when kept in well-drained soil outdoors. As a drought-tolerant succulent, they do well in rock gardens, in cracks in stone walls, or even between garden stepping stones. So they’re pretty low maintenance and you can look forward to them each year – yay! 🙂