Can my Sempervivum stay outside for winter?

17 years ago

Hello All!

This summer I bought a plant which was labeled as a "Sempervivum 'Granat'". The garden department guy at Lowe's swore to me that it was a houseplant. Within about a week of placing this plant in my house it went from being firm & red to being pale green & mushy. Once placed outside on the porch it thrived and even bloomed profusely. My question is this: Can it continue to stay outside? Will it tolerate the freezing temps and snow? I live in PA just eight miles north of Maryland (I'm not sure what zone that is). Also, the plant is potted so moving it is not a problem. Any and all opinions on the subject will be appreciated.

-Amber Rae

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Comments (9)

mfyss
17 years ago
Amber Rae,
There should be no problem with survival outdoors. When an individual Semp blooms, that individual dies, and I assume that is what your plants did (other similar appearing Crassulaceae behave differently).

My experience is like yours, that growing Semps indoors is difficult, but that they thrive outside. Yale
deep___roots
17 years ago
Alpine natives as in ALPS, as in mountains, as in cold. As long as your drainage is excellent with a capital E, there should not be a problem. If you are worried, position it so it gets some protection from the harshest conditions & elements.
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in my sand... i could bury pot and all ... if you have clay soil ... and will make a non draining pot... do not bury the pot and all ... place them on the foundation of the house.. on the north side ... and make a note to tip them on their sides near thxgving ... all the better if they end up getting buried in snow ... in this application the plastic pot if perfect ... in the alternative... simply pull them out of the pots.. and plant them .. say.. in the veg garden ... and repot in early spring ... or even better.. put them in there future home ... maple seedlings.. in nature are indestructible ... the only thing that might kill them ... is too much love... DO NOT OVERTHINK THIS .. and do NOT treat them like babies... they are hardcore.. carefree.. long lived weed trees ... [that's personal bias.. lol] .... all that .. presuming you arent dealing with some non zone appropriate maple .. as there are a bazillion and a half different kind of maples.. and you really havent IDd it for us ... a pic of the leaves might get you an ID here ... and.. to reinforce such ... they are not babies.. and not houseplants .. do NOT treat them as such .... ken
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shrubs_n_bulbs
17 years ago
Easily cold hardy. Better under snow than rain or ice but tolerates both rain and ice on the leaves. Never allow to waterlog.
norma_2006
17 years ago
Plant it outside, put pine needles on the top of the plant, lightly that is, make the pine need look like a nest all going different directions. Shrubs n bulbs, knows what she is talking about look where she lives. Use a very vast draing soil, no clay, if worried lay the pot on it's side. It will be fine.
rjm710
17 years ago
I'm not too far from you. Last year, I lost a semp that was in the ground, but got too wet. I had another in a pot, and put it in a spot where it got very little rain or snow on it, and it came through the winter just fine.
Maryl (Okla. Zone 7a)
17 years ago
Good timing on this question. I have a Hen & Chicks in a small hypertufa planter and was wondering if I could leave it outside. I know they need bright light and I don't have any sunny windows in my house. I also didn't know that the individual Hen died when she flowered. Thanks for some great responses that helped this lurker.
milwdave
17 years ago
Absoluteley! They're perfectly hardy here in Milwaukee so I doubt PA or OKL can throw anything worse at them :) The only thing that I would suggest is not to let them sit on a solid surface. Elevate them using a few flat stones so the drainage remains free. It's usually wet, not cold, that does them in.

Dave
Milwaukee
shapiro
17 years ago
Dear Amber Rae: Here I am in Ottawa, Canada and we have many different types of Hen & Chicks in our garden. They stay outdoors all winter - so if it works here, it should work for you. Some plants LOOK sort of like Hen & Chicks but are more tender: Echeverias and Graptoverias. Those I have outdoors and in full sun in the summer - they love it, and then I bring them indoors for the winter. This has worked fine for several years now.
norma_2006
17 years ago
Semps. love the cold and dry. Aeoniums also don't like the heat of summer and water. I must then put them in the shade. The heads (not all of them) die after they flower. Many Crassulaceae are winter growers, as Dudley many Sedum, Crassula, Aeoniums. So again look them up and find out where that species grow then you will know how to raise them. There is no cut a dry rules for these plants. Norma

Can my Sempervivum stay outside for winter?

Comments (9)

mfyss

deep___roots

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