Hens and chicks won't want to be stepped on, nor will you want to step on them. :) Most good garden centers sell something called "stepables," groundcovers that can be planted between rocks or wherever you want. They won't mind being walked on and your feet will thank you. See the link! Here is a link that might be useful: Stepables.com

They also do wonders in a strawberry pot. Gotta love it when they bloom. I honestly don't think they care what soil they are in since they require very little nutrients to grow. I was stuffing a few into my wall around my mailbox one day and forgot a few that I left on an old tree stump. As I went down my driveway ther following spring I just happened to notice alot of green ontop the stump ... Imagine that ... just some old stump barely enough rot to make it soft and there you go.

I'm taking this year off from market, but those containers have been such good sellers for me that I certainly will sell them again when I return. I do not grow from seed. I have quite a few semps, some very large plantings, and so I thin and take starts from my garden, starting new plants. I have a spare raised bed filled with sedum starts - cuttings that I've rooted - that I can divide and use for the containers. With some advance, planning the containers can cost almost nothing to put together. This is the only photo I have - it's kind of difficult to make out the containers against the crushed rock. I've used 3 sizes - shallow rectangular, small (6") round and larger round.

JMO, but painted plants are ugly - they may look 'different' and 'interesting' for a while, but as soon as they start growing, it is an ugly sight...BUT, there is a market for them. Many ppl just don't know and get fleeced. Some orchids were sold years ago as a novelty - blue flowers. I believe the color lasted longer because it was 'injected' or something similar...new blooms were not blue. Ppl paid tons of $$$ for something fake. There are plants today sold as rare or very rare that have different colors for quite some time, but eventually are just 'regular' plants. These are treated with some chemicals or some growth regulators that will alter their color for monts. And sold for huge $$$. This happens with other plants too, not only succulents. See story of Philodendron Pink Congo... ...the Pink Congo philodendron started arriving in shops it has blade shaped leaves but the youngest leaves are bubblegum pink. It’s a striking plant and is suddenly widely available and quite a bit cheaper than the princess (still close to $100 for a smallish plant) A few things were unusual about the arrival of the Pink Congo. Often when a breeder is about to release a new job plant hybrid they display it at flower shows the year before to build up some interest among buyers. Often when a new hybrid is available it is quite limited as it can be difficult to grow enough stock. Pink Congo defied both these trends. This grew a little suspicion. Then somebody released how the pink Congo achieved its strong colors. Turns out the Pink Congo was developed specifically to rival the pink princess (no surprise there) but it turns out the plants were treated with Strepson, a form of Auxin, that, when applied as instructed, "stimulates ethylene production in high concentrations." Ethylene is the gas that is used to ripen fruit and force flowers to bloom. This means the plant needs to continue that treatment needs to be reapplied or the pink will eventually fade to green and no new pink will appear. However the exact treatment is a closely guarded secret so the chances of success at home are infinitesimal. The pink stays for approximately a year then fades It seems this plant was created with the intent of tricking customers. It has created a lot of debate on whether buying this plant is supporting unethical business practices. And if this counts as false advertising...