Sempervivum tectorum

ssp. tectorum 'Houseleek'

[Ex. Bernina 1980 m., Italy]

Crassulaceae: a vigorous mat-forming evergreen perennial to 20cm. Found on old roofs, old walls, chimneys and rocks, especially on limestone. Starry purplish flowers are borne in flat cymes on stems to 20cm in height. Blooming from June-July. Clusters of fleshy rosettes to 10cm in width, the leaves blue-green suffused with reddish-purple. Native to Western, Central & Southern Europe.

USES:

Young leaves and shoots can be eaten raw, can be added to salads. The juice of the leaves is used as a refreshing drink.

Houseleek leaves and their juice are used for their cooling and astringent effect, being applied externally to soothe many skin conditions. As with many other remedies that are both astringent and soothing, houseleek simultaneously tightens and softens the skin. The fresh leaves have astringent, diuretic, odontalgic, refrigerant and vulnerary properties. They are used as a poultice in much the same way as Aloe vera in the treatment of a wide range of skin diseases, burns, scalds, bites and stings etc and have also been used to get rid of warts and corns.

GROWING INFORMATION:

surface sow in early spring in a cold frame. It usually germinates in 2 - 6 weeks at 10°C. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer if they have made sufficient growth, otherwise grow them on for a further year in pots before planting them out.

Prefers a well-drained gritty soil in full sun. Succeeding in any sandy soil, doing well in very little soil in rock crevices, walls, paths etc so long as there is sufficient humus. Established plants are very drought tolerant and dislike winter wet.

HARVESTED:

 

APPROX. 100 SEEDS