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Cactus Succulent

Sempervivum 'Lemon Babies'

A mat-forming, evergreen succulent producing neat, fleshy rosettes to 3.5cm across, with small, cobwebbed, pale yellow-green leaves, tipped orange-red in summer then flushed pale red in autumn and winter. Tall spikes of starry pale pink flowers produced from mature rosettes, die off after flowering in summer and are replaced by new offsets

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Ultimate height

Up to 10cm

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.1–0.5 metres

Chalk

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

East–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Exposed or Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Crassulaceae
Native to the UK: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Matforming
Genus: Sempervivum are evergreen perennials forming mats of fleshy-leaved rosettes, often attractively coloured, with star-shaped pink or pale yellow flowers in summer
Name status: Accepted

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in moderately fertile sharply-drained soil with added grit, in full sun. Protect from excessive winter wet. Suitable for rock garden, scree bed, wall crevice, trough or alpine house. See sempervivum cultivation for further advice

Propagation

Propagate by seed sown in spring, or root offsets in spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Coastal
Cottage and informal garden
Gravel garden
Patio and container plants
Rock garden
Low Maintenance
Flower borders and beds
Garden edging
Ground cover

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

May be susceptible to sempervivum leaf miner and vine weevil

Diseases

May be susceptible to a rust

Get involved

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