Monday 5 August 2013

Sempervivum Sunday: S. 'Jet Stream'

Todays subject is one of the slightly frustrating varieties. Sempervivum 'Jet Stream' is another US cultivar. Symmetrical rosettes with very dark red leaves with small hairs around the edge. A really strong colour, which stays for most of the year.



Size wise, it fits into the small group, being only 4 - 5cm across. It is not the biggest clumper, tending to produce only 2 or 3 offsets at most.  This should be fine except that it flowers really quickly and just as a clump starts to form a mass of flowers reduces it back to one or two plants again. 



The flower stalks start of thick, but then branch into slim stems. Flowers early summer and have finished by August.


Seems good for winter, with no noticeable die back, also seems to cope with heat without showing signs of stress.   If it wasn't for the problems with the very quick flowering these would be one of my favourite varieties.  As it is, they are well worth having for their compact shape and strong colour.  You just have to accept they will never really clump and you are going to only ever have a few plants.

The stats:

  • Cultivar from US
  • Size: Small
  • Summer Colour: very dark red
  • Rosette: Neat
  • Offsets: Few, coming from the base of the plant
  • Clump: Clumps slowly, but wiped out by flowering
  • Flower: Pink on thin branched stalks
  • Winter hardiness: Good, no problems with being wet and cold.

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