Sempervivum calcareum 'Grigg's Surprise'

$8.99

SKU:S2JN0896

Product Details

Highlights

Sempervivum calcareum 'Grigg's Surprise' (aka S. calcareum 'Monstrosum'): A rare monstrose cultivar for the collector. Instead of the normal flat-leaved rosette, this variety grows as a mass of long, slender quills. The leaves are blue-green and tipped in deep burgundy. This hard-to-find cultivar has a unique look and always adds interest to a collection.

Hens & Chicks need plenty of outdoor sunlight to show their best colors and maintain a tight rosette form. They thrive in gritty, well-draining soils and pots with drainage holes. They produce new offsets or "chicks" on stolons. These chicks can be left to form tidy clusters or removed to share and transplant.

Sempervivum do most of their growing in the spring and summer, and will thrive with weekly watering and afternoon shade if temperatures exceed 80F. They are incredibly frost hardy and will happily thrive through winter under an insulating blanket of snow. Protect from heavy rains and standing water to prevent rot.

Full Sempervivum Guide

Product Size

2.0" Pot

Current Primary Color

Green

All Seasonal Colors

Red

Bloom Color

Pink Bloom

Grow Zone (Hardiness)

Zone 5 (-20F), Zone 6 (-10F), Zone 7 (0F), Zone 8 (10F), Zone 9 (20F), Zone 10 (30F)

Recommended Light Conditions

Filtered / Partial Sun, Full Sun

Maximum Height

Under 3"

Maximum Rosette Size

3"-4"

Growth Habit / Shape

Clumping / Mounding

Special Characteristic

Pet Safe

USDA Zone map for average annual extreme minimum temperatures

THIS PLANT IS HARDY IN ZONES 5 - 10

5 6 7 8 9 10

WHAT IS MY HARDINESS ZONE?

Videos

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Questions & Answers

Popular Questions

2 years ago

No add to cart for this?

2 years ago • Staff Answer

Sorry, this variety is currently out of stock. You can click the blue button that says Email Me When Product is Back in Stock to get a notification as soon as it's ready to ship.

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3 years ago

Can this be planted where the pot doesn’t have a draining opening on the bottom of the pot

3 years ago • Staff Answer

You can but it's not recommended. If you don't have a drainage hole, you'll just have to be much more careful about watering.

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1 year ago

What is the best time of year to plant sempervivums?

1 year ago • Staff Answer

Generally, spring is the best time of year to plant Sempervivum, as well as other outdoor succulents. However, planting in the summer and even early fall, can be successful too. Just be sure to get all of your outdoor succulents, including Sempervivum, planted a month before the first frost of the year.

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10 months ago

How do I divide this?

10 months ago • Staff Answer

The clumps can be gently pulled apart. Just place one hand lightly on top of the biggest rosette. Then gently pull the chicks off with your other hand.

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3 years ago

Does this come as a pot with one Gold Nugget rosette, or with multiple rosettes in a single pot?

7 months ago • Staff Answer

This Chick Charms Gold Nugget comes fully rooted in a 2" pot. Usually, a single rosette completely fills the pot, but occasionally there will be smaller bonus rosettes growing around the base of the main plant.

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3 years ago

What size pot is ideal for planting sempervivum gold nugget plants?

7 months ago • Staff Answer

This Sempervivum 'Gold Nugget' listing is for a plant fully rooted in a 2" pot. If you want to plant it individually, look for a pot about 2.5"-3.5" in diameter. You can also plant multiple in a single container, leaving a little space between rosettes. Still try to find a pot less than 6" deep, so that it does not hold too much water. And, as always, pick pots with drainage holes and use gritty, well-draining soil.

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3 years ago

Can Chick Charms Gold Nugget thrive indoors under grow lights?

7 months ago • Staff Answer

They can grow indoors under a Succulent Grow Light or on a south-facing window sill, but they do not show their best colors and can be more vulnerable to rot. All Sempervivum, including Chick Charms, grow best outdoors and can tolerate frosts down to -20F (Zone 5). Cold nights and winters are what bring out their vibrant pigments, and without those they tend to stay greener indoors.

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3 years ago

Can sempervivum Gold Nugget overwinter indoors on a windowsill then planted outside in the spring?

7 months ago • Staff Answer

It can, just be sure it gets as much sun as possible or supplement with a Succulent Grow Light. Also remember that Sempervivum growth slows down a lot during the winter, so it should receive little to no water. After all chance of frost has passed, you can move it outdoors and gradually acclimate it to partial then full sun over the course of about two weeks. Then you can plant it, and once it's established a strong root system (about a month) it will be able to tolerate more extreme conditions.

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2 years ago

Do sempervivum gold nugget plants multiply?

7 months ago • Voted Best Answer

Yes! Sempervivum like this 'Gold Nugget' produce lots of new little offsets called "chicks" each spring through summer. The small new rosettes will sprout around the base of the main rosette (the "hen"). They can be left there to root or you can gently pull them off and plant them elsewhere.

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2 years ago

Would Chick Charms Gold Nugget show its full range of colors outdoors in a temperate climate--without much cold weather?

2 years ago • Staff Answer

You still can get some great gold tones by gently stressing Sempervivum with full sun and drought. Even in a temperate climate (such as hardiness zones 9+) this 'Gold Nugget' will color up if planted in full sun with rocky, well-draining soil, and very infrequent water. But you're right, you might not see some of the hot pink accents it gets in response to hard frosts.

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