Plant ID help please

Discussion in 'Identification Area' started by Snowbaby, Mar 16, 2017.

  1. Snowbaby

    Snowbaby Gardener

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  2. NigelJ

    NigelJ Total Gardener

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    They look like Sempervivens, commonly known as house leeks. Yes they will survive outdoors.
    They typically live in the mountains of Europe and Asia, they will take cold and also dry conditions.
    They need a very freely draining gritty compost, they can be grown either in containers outside or on walls or in rock gardens. I've grown them in bricks with a couple of drainage holes in the hollow. They will flower and these are quite interesting, but they are monocarpic so the flowered plant dies off usually leaving a number of offsets behind that then grow on.
     
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    • shiney

      shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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      And on roofs :dbgrtmb:. In some countries they are considered to bring good luck if planted on the roof.
       
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      • Scrungee

        Scrungee Well known for it

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        @Zigs Did you plant those House Leeks I gave you on the pillbox roof?
         
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        • Phil A

          Phil A Guest

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          I did, must have a look how they're doing :thumbsup:
           
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          • Mowerman

            Mowerman Gardener

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            Sempervivens are quite easy to care for and tolerate pretty severe drought. Best grown in a maximum sunlight position in raised pots with a good sized drainage hole and smashed up tiles or similar to form a bridge in the bottom to aid drainage, as well as and some sharp grit added to the compost to allow for free drainage.

            A customer has two containters of them growing in weird tetris-shaped pots (which fit around her drain pipes). She alternates them between the two sites when one batch is looking a bit worse for wear. A couple of weeks in the sunniest spot invigorates the ones that look bad, and when the other looks like death, she swaps them over. It seems that the common denominator is the position in relation to sunshine as one pot only gets late afternoon/evening sun, so retains moisture far more than the other, which gets sun all day long.
             
          • pete

            pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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            I think they are Echiverias, not hardy, but sometimes make it through a winter if sheltered.
            House leeks do look similar though, and are a good alternative.
            Growing on my corrugated asbestos shed roof.
            The yellow flowered plant is sedum acre.
            July 07 052.jpg
             
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              Last edited: Mar 16, 2017
            • Anthony Rogers

              Anthony Rogers Guest

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              I agree with Pete , I had another look at the bluish one on the right of centre and Echeveria was the first thing that came to mind. I'd say that that was a pre-planted arrangement for indoors.
               
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              • Snowbaby

                Snowbaby Gardener

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                Thanks everyone (sorry for delayed response, the notification didn't come to my email :frown:)

                I'm trying to find decorative but low maintenance and hardy flowers and plants to do a planter for my dad's grave :frown:
                I'm only able to go once a month as he's buried back "home" which is 3 hours away. I want his grave to look nice and look cared for
                 
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