Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Alpine RockeryHerbaceous PerennialCactus Succulent

Sempervivum × thompsonianum

A mat-forming, evergreen compact perennial alpine with rosettes of yellow-green, hairy foliage flushed with red on the outside

Save to My plants

Ultimate height

0.1–0.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.1–0.5 metres

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

East–facing or North–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: Correct
Plant range: North Macedonia

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in moderately fertile, well-drained soil in full sun. Protect from excessive winter wet. Suitable for rock gardens, scree beds, wall crevices, troughs or alpine houses

Propagation

Propagate by offsets in spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Gravel garden
Patio and container plants
Rock garden

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

May be susceptible to sempervivum leaf miner, slugs, snails, and vine weevil

Diseases

May be susceptible to a rust

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.