Orostachys boehmeri - Dunce's Cap

Orostachys boehmeri, sometimes nicknamed Chinese hat plant, is a perennial succulent evergreen formed of compact rosettes reminiscent of cabbages, consisting of beautiful fleshy, obovate leaves, ranging in colour from grey-green to grey-purple. It is an easy plant to cultivate that requires only a bright exposure and well-draining soil. It is both an indoor and outdoor plant that is sculptural and simple to succeed with, perfect for rockeries and dry borders. It enters dormancy in winter or when summer temperatures exceed 30° C. For the rest of the time, it exhibits good growth and blooms with dense, pale yellow to white spikes at the end of summer. It is hardy and also more tolerant of humidity than other species.

Orostachys are perennial succulents from the Crassulaceae family, valued for their compact rosettes of very sculptural leaves. Native to Japan and Russia, this genus thrives in well-draining, mineral-rich soil and requires very bright exposure. Highly drought-resistant, Orostachys boehmeri withstands frost and can be grown in pots or in the ground. Orostachys boehmeri is a succulent perennial that forms rosettes along branching stems. With a rapid growth rate, it reaches 25 cm in height and 15 cm in spread. The leaves are fleshy, thick, rigid, obovate, and sessile, grey-green to grey-purple. It blooms from August to October with dense spikes, in pale yellow to white.

Plant Orostachys boehmeri in a rock garden, on a very well-drained slope, or at the edge of a flower bed or in a pot. You can pair it with creeping sedums, Cape Aster Felicia amelloides, Delospermas, and other Lampranthus that enjoy similar conditions. In pots, plant it alongside houseleeks, for example.