Sempervivum

[Lori S.]

Is there anything of particular note with S. thompsonianum?

Well, I think it's interesting due to the hairy tufts at the ends of the leaves, but it's all in the eye of the beholder.

Here's a report on it in habitat:
http://stalikez.info/fsm/semp/site/stogo_gb.php?lg=fr&clc=121&zc=Ae1f1aDg1f1f1i1r1zu1g

Looking at photos, I'm not sure my plant even is this species now, though I thought I had pinned it down once previously.
Here are the flowers, which don't seem to fit that description:
http://nargs.org/nargswiki/tiki-browse_gallery.php?galleryId=20&offset=16

Any thoughts on what it might be?

[Lori S.]

So are those offsets from your garden potted up for your NARGS chapter sales or...  ? 

Yes, they were for the Chapter sale in early June.  And then I accidentally left that whole flat at home the day of the sale!  But it really wasn't missed.  My pick up was filled with plants

Yes, I thought so.  It was either that or new acquisitions.... lots of semps either way!

[cohan]

Is there anything of particular note with S. thompsonianum?

Well, I think it's interesting due to the hairy tufts at the ends of the leaves, but it's all in the eye of the beholder.

Here's a report on it in habitat:
http://stalikez.info/fsm/semp/site/stogo_gb.php?lg=fr&clc=121&zc=Ae1f1aDg1f1f1i1r1zu1g

Looking at photos, I'm not sure my plant even is this species now, though I thought I had pinned it down once previously.
Here are the flowers, which don't seem to fit that description:
http://nargs.org/nargswiki/tiki-browse_gallery.php?galleryId=20&offset=16

Any thoughts on what it might be?

Sempervivum is one of several large and highly variable succulent/cactus genera that I don't really attempt to identify if they don't come with a solid id (apart from  a few really distinct species)--so many species/varieties and hybrids!.. nice plant, anyway!

[McDonough]

Recently came across the fantastic Kallima Garden web site.  For semp fans, there an extensive listing (with excellent photographs) of 145 Semepvivum taxon and over 500 colorful cultivars.  There are alpine pics here too.  On the web page sidebar navigation, the semps are listed under "Rocky Roses", I assume a translation thingy.  I just lost 2 hours on this site   Enjoy.

http://kallima.sk/ekatalog.php?menuID=enk_semp&page=eabc_2.php&dbID=semp_druhy&pismeno=A&seria=0

[Weiser]

That is a good one indeed! Looks like I'm not getting anymore done today, Thanks!

[McDonough]

I particularly liked viewing the many forms of semp species, each collected from different locales... shows the species variability.

Here's another Semp information resource:
http://www.semperhorst.de/Inhaltsverzeichnis%20der%20HP/Inhaltsverzeichnis.htm

[McDonough]

Cruising around the internet looking at plant nurseries, I was surprised to see just how good the Sempervivum listing is at Edelweiss Perennials in Oregon.  Since they maintain their connections to Europe and import plants from Europe, they have a number of unique and beautiful semps that are not typically available in the US.

Start here, there is 5 pages of semp species and cultivars:
http://www.edelweissperennials.com/PlantGroup.aspx?plant=Sempervivum

Note: at least with the browser I'm using (Internet Explorer 9.0), and the javascript used on the pages, the links often don't work, and I would need to let it "time out", use the back button, and then try each link a second time, where it usually worked.  Have patience on the site, it is worth getting the pages to eventually load.

On their home page, at a glance you can shop by a number of specialty plant groups, their Epimedium listing is quite good too, among the lowest prices I'v seen for some "eppies".
http://www.edelweissperennials.com/index.aspx

[cohan]

As I've mentioned on a couple of other threads, though we've had a very mild winter by our standards, we've still had snow on the ground since early Nov, and in spite of a lot of weather from just above freezing to over 10C/50F, and lots of melting, there is still a lot of snow to go, and several of my beds are still partly to entirely covered..
So, its exciting to simply see plants emerging from the snow, nevermind growing or flowering! And Sempervivum/Jovibarba are good for this- they look interesting as soon as you can see them!
Last fall I made a new semp bed in front of the house, this one is nearly all plants received as 'lost label', so no names, but lots of colour; I'll be doing another bed somewhere else for named species..
I showed a few here already:
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=934.msg16138#msg16138

Some more, first from March 28, a partial overview; lots of debris on this bed- leaves and spruce needles blow to every part of our property, even far from the trees, and the dried grass and wood bits are there because this is in front of the house and got snow shovelled onto it all winter (wood from our constant firewood parade)..


Sempervivum ciliosum; this is in a large pot appended to the new bed.. The Veronica repens is impressive- bright green straight out of almost 4 months of snow cover.. it needs to be continually kept in check, but nice texture addition...


Then some shots from Apr 01

[Hoy]

Nice to see your plants emerge from the cover of snow, Cohan!

[RickR]

Coming along nicely, Cohan.  I just love that special form of Jovibarba allionii!

Mine is just green.  I'm a lot farther along than you, and even more so in pots.  Here it is with Orostachys aggregatum  on the right.  The orostachys has really jumped.  It is completely deciduous (at least for me), so it is all new growth.

               

Sempervivum 'Robin' and a trough

          

[cohan]

Thanks, Trond- though some of my other beds are still under a foot or two of snow (driveway piles are still 2-4 feet, and there are some beds under those too) and we are under a winter storm warning for tomorrow- a couple cm in the afternoon possibly and another 15cm tomorrow night, with flurries or showers on thursday... we'll see what all that actually amounts to (some areas could see 20-30cm)

At the foot of that semp bed are some bulbs- crocus and galanthus just planted last fall- still no sign of emergence, though the snow only melted a short time ago at the bottom (and would still be there if I hadn't done some shovelling so it wouldn't stay waterlogged too long!) and the ground would still have been frozen solid when the snow melted (may still be!)

Rick- yes, much farther along! I do have a plant that has very similar colouring and texture to Robin, received as lost-label, but mine never opens up that much- a common theme in my climate, however! This is one effect of my nearly alpine climate I don't mind- the Semps tend to grow small and tight, though some are brave enough to open up in summer..
Are those Escobaria vivipara in the trough?

[RickR]

Rick-
Are those Escobaria vivipara in the trough?

Yes, grown from seed collected at the Minnesota/South Dakota border.

[cohan]

Nice ones I just have some tiny seedlings ..

[Hoy]

Rick, the cacti fits very well with the semps! I have to try that at my summerhouse

[McDonough]

Rick, the cacti fits very well with the semps! I have to try that at my summerhouse

I agree, Rick, that's a great looking trough, really like the S. arachnoidium type dangling some baby chicks.

The semps are plumping and coloring up here