When I stated breeding sempervivum in 1964, the best coloration of the rosettes was early in the spring which sadly faded to uninteresting greens and dirty tans. Helen Payne, the matriarch of the “semp” movement here in the U.S., referred to this early spring phenomenon as “high color”. This of course implies that there is a time of “low color” too. A semp garden in the mid 60s in July or August was of much less interest than in the spring.