One winner of top rosette for star quality
Little things can mean a lot. Or, big things come in small packages.
And so it is with Sempervivum arachnoideum, aka the cobweb houseleek, one of those fascinating plants that keep themselves to themselves but which can’t help being the centre of attention.
It belongs to a fascinating family of evergreen perennials that form mats of fleshy-leaved rosettes, often attractively coloured, with incredible star-shaped pink or pale yellow flowers in summer.
Grow the cobweb houseleek in moderately fertile well-drained soil in full sun and it should thrive. So, it’s suitable for a rock garden, scree bed, wall crevice, trough or alpine house or any pot or container. As long as it doesn’t get waterlogged in winter, you can enjoy it for years.
Although drought tolerant, this plant does better with regular watering. As with most succulents, allow them to dry out well between watering. Plant in a fast-draining, amended succulent soil to avoid too much water on the roots. The cobweb succulent grows great as a groundcover plant in a sunny area.
It doesn’t need pruning and it hasn’t got many problems with pests and diseases.
Sempervivum arachnoideum needs to be watered periodically in the flowering season and once in a while during the winter months. The plant doesn’t need feeding, but repotting it in well-draining succulent potting soil containing compost mixed with a slow-release fertiliser ensures a long and healthy plant life.
And if Sempervivum arachnoideum is interesting, then so is Echeveria “Kirov”, from whose clusters of icy-blue rosettes spring exquisite flowers beloved of hummingbirds, which tells us that these wonderful succulents are far from home but quite content to spend their days in darkest England.
In the wild, many echeverias grow on high, rocky outcrops in Mexico and Central America where the terrain allows water to drain away quickly, ensuring that the plants’ roots are never waterlogged.
Hence the reason to grow them in porous soils – water only when the soil is dry to the touch, and don’t apply fertiliser unless you want lush plants that never reach their true potential.
Pot them in a free-draining soil or compost, even a specially-created cactus compost, and pop them in the sunniest spot possible.