Sempervivum Granat

Sempervivum 'Granat' is one of the most beautifully coloured houseleek varieties, whose decorative tone lasts throughout the year. Its mature rosettes take on a predominantly pink-purple hue, even in winter, forming a pleasant colour combination with the almond-green periphery. In spring, they are surrounded by young and pretty rosettes of shiny purple-garnet leaves. Its summer flowering in pink harmonises with the vegetation. Clinging with all its might to life, even when abandoned on a pile of stones, the houseleek is a modest but endearing plant that always manages to win the gardener's heart.

The houseleek is a perennial succulent plant of the Crassulaceae family. All sempervivum species grow spontaneously in rocky lawns, on rocks and scree, in open and sunny situations, mainly in mountainous areas. Their vegetation persists throughout the year, even in winter.

The hybrid variety 'Granat' has thick and long roots that penetrate deeply into rock crevices, ensuring a good grip on the walls while drawing water from deep sources. The plant is particularly prolific. It quickly forms beautiful colonies of rosettes of different sizes, juxtaposed, reaching 6cm (2in) in diameter at maturity, and not exceeding 8cm (3in) in height. Over time, it uses its stoloniferous stems to form a mound or a dense carpet spreading over 30 to 40cm (12 to 16in) on the ground, perfectly fitting the terrain. Slightly resembling a sea urchin, each rosette is composed of numerous pointed, fleshy, upright leaves, tightly packed together and without petioles. Their colour is a clever blend of pink-purple, garnet, tender green, and even soft yellow-green. It remains consistently uniform throughout the year. The flowering appears sporadically on rosettes aged 2 or 3 years, which will then disappear, having ensured the plant's perpetuity through the production of numerous small rosettes on the periphery. The 12cm (5in) tall flower stalks develop from June to August, formed by thick stems that carry 1 to 5 star-shaped flowers with 8 to 10 pink-purple petals.

Sempervivum 'Granat', like all houseleeks, is a boon for alpine gardens, as well as in all rocky places where the soil is shallow. It thrives where few species survive, colonising abandoned spaces. If your soil is poor, rather dry, stony, rocky, or even slightly chalky, you can still enjoy this hardy perennial (which can withstand temperatures below -15°C (5°F)). It requires no maintenance and promises to liven up any pile of stones, a low wall, or even a green roof. Houseleeks are unusual and easy-to-care-for succulent plants. Their flowers and foliage in various shades create a desire to collect them, propagate them, and create astonishing displays in the most inhospitable places. They are magnificent in pot arrangements, especially in low terrine-like containers, and irreplaceable in borders, troughs, or rock gardens, alongside wall bellflowers or Lewisia cotyledon. Consider choosing companions with staggered bloom times (sedums, thymes) and colourful foliage (bergenia, Euphorbia myrsinites) to create a variegated and joyful rock garden.