LATIN NAME
Sempervivum tectorum

FAMILY
Crassulaceae

DESCRIPTION
Growing to 15 cm tall by 50 cm broad, it is a rosette-forming succulent evergreen perennial, spreading by offsets. It has grey-green, tufted, sessile leaves, 4–10 cm in diameter, which are often suffused with rose-red. In summer it bears clusters of reddish-purple flowers, in multiples of 8-16, on hairy erect flat-topped stems.

MEANING
Luck, Protection, Love

WIT & WISDOM
A Roman tradition claiming that it protects buildings against lightning strikes.

USES
The juice has been used in herbal medicine as an astringent and treatment for skin and eye diseases, including by Galen and Dioscorides, to ease inflammation and, mixed with honey, to treat thrush; however, large doses have an emetic effect.

GROWING TIPS
Common Houseleek can be grown from seeds, seedlings or by dividing offsets.
Don’t plant your Common Houseleeks too deeply. Dig a shallow hole and spread the roots. Cover to the crown of the plant and tamp the soil gently so that the plant is firm in the ground. Water lightly, but you don’t need to water newly planted Common Houseleek every day, the way you would with non-succulents. Common Houseleeks need to let their roots dry out between waterings.
Common Houseleeks will spread by underground roots. Each plant multiplies by at last 4, in a growing season, by producing little offset plantlets all around the perimeter of the “Hen”. These are the “Chicks”. The Chicks can be snapped off and replanted elsewhere at any time.
Once established, maintenance of Common Houseleeks is minimal. You’ll need to remove the old hens, after they flower, and divide chicks as needed.

PESTS & DISEASES
Crown rot will occur in wet soils. Some varieties can get Endophyllum rust, a fungus disease. Both problems can be prevented if grown in dry conditions.