Sempervivum Sunday: S. 'Lion King'

Let's get the tacky jokes about this being the king of the semps out of the way form the start.  A very aptly named cultivar from the UK, which really is one of the best of all varieties out there (of those that I have seen so far anyway). 

It is is very slightly hairy around the edge of the leaves, and is green, with brown tips.  Size wise, it fits into the large group, although at around 10cm it's not the biggest semp available.  It sizes up fairly quickly under the right conditions, but can be a little fussy at times and it is worth watching to find somewhere it likes.  The young plants are very upright in form, and tend to flatten out as they grow. The mature plants are great, but the young plants probably fit the name best.

Once settled, offsets are produced on stolons from the base of the plant.  Although doesn't seem to form big clumps.

They flower a bit later in the summer than many, with good thick flower spikes which branch along their length instead of just at the top.  Flowers are pale pink

Seems good for winter, although there is some shrinkage and a slightly paler colour, this is not that noticeable.   It does take a little time to settle as mentioned before, so I would avoid purchasing it or planting it after mid summer, so it has time to acclimatise to the new home.

The stats:

• Cultivar
• Size: Large
• Summer Colour: green with brown tips
• Rosette: Nea, very upright when young
• Offsets: Few, coming from the base of the plant, on stolons
• Clump: Clumps slowly
• Flower: Pink on thick stalks
• Winter hardiness: Good, no problems with being wet and cold.