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| Photo Credit: Amy Dee Stephens |
| As the name suggests, the mother “hen” is surrounded by her baby “chicks.” |
Not everyone is willing to invite chickens to live in their yard or home. But even apartment dwellers will agree that hens-and-chicks make suitable living companions. Few plants are as hardy, easily maintained, simple to cultivate and beautiful to boot!
With hens-and-chicks (Sempervivum sp.), the nickname becomes obvious: The main plant (or mother hen) surrounds herself with miniature replicas (her little chicks). This pretty succulent has a shape similar to an artichoke, but the leaves and color can vary. Leaves can be thick or thin, spiky or round-tipped, smooth or covered with fine hairs. Color variations range from pale sea green to dark olive, burgundy to red, purple to pink and even gray. Chicks can be as small as a pea, and hens can grow as large as a dinner plate. If you haven’t already fallen in love with this plant based on its appearance, just wait until you find out how easy it is to grow: | Add Photo to Journal |  | | Photo Credit: Amy Dee Stephens | | When you separate the chick from its mother, it will have a single root like this. |
Raising your chicks (no farm required). What could be more versatile than a plant that does well both inside and outside, can grow from a tiny patch of soil and requires little water? Originally from the mountains, Sempervivum is an alpine succulent, which means it can withstand dry conditions, poor soil and cold winters. In other words: It’s an ideal rock garden plant. It can also grow in a small crevice, the hollow of a tree and even the crack in a sidewalk. Hens-and-chicks do equally well in a container, a clay strawberry pot or as a groundcover. (A well-drained soil works best, regardless of where you choose to plant.) When allowed to spread, it’ll form a thick mat that will travel as far as you allow (and then some).
Separating momma from her chicks. Hens-and-chicks can stay together for the long term, but the beauty of this plant is how easily it can be propagated. Gently pull a chick from the mother plant and pop it into a new location. And voilà! You have a “single” chick. It’s that easy! And Sempervivum needs very little dirt to settle into its new lifestyle, too. Seriously – you can drill a bit-sized hole into a rock and your chick can take root. Soon after, it’ll have chicks of its own, and you’ll have a new colony growing. (But warning: This is a seriously addictive habit, which results in scads of hens-and-chicks being transplanted throughout your garden and filling every vacant pot in your house!)
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| Tips |
- If you get a cut or burn, the liquid from inside hens-and-chicks leaves can sooth the inflammation. This plant is distantly related to Aloe vera and works much the same way, although it’s slightly less effective. (If you have a choice, use aloe first. But hens-and-chicks makes a good runner-up.)
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| Facts |
- Don’t bother to count these chickens before or after they hatch – just know that they’ll multiply like rabbits!
- The Latin name Sempervivum tectorum has rich meaning. Sempervivum, meaning “always live,” refers to the plant’s hardiness, evergreen quality and its propensity to propagate. In Europe, these beauties were originally planted on thatched roofs to resist fire, which is the origin of tectorum, meaning “on roofs.”
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| Definitions |
- Succulent: A plant with the ability to store water during dry conditions. (Succulents do well in both deserts and on drought-prone mountains.)
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| Resources |
- You can find more information on Sempervivum tectorum in our Learn2Grow Plant Database.
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