Sempervivum Feldmaier

Sempervivum 'Feldmaier' is a quite old variety of houseleek, exceptional in size and beauty. Its large rosettes of tightly packed succulent leaves are perfectly formed. Their colour ranges from mouse-grey to lead to bronze-caramel, prettily flushed with mauve-pink at the base, around a bronze-green centre. Its flowering in pink to red stars occurs in summer, at the heart of mature rosettes. This very hardy perennial metamorphoses even the smallest pile of stones, softening the terrain by covering it with a beautiful coat. Once established, it likes to be forgotten. Houseleeks live on air. They are a boon to embellish places where other plants cannot grow.

Sempervivum 'Feldmaier' is a superb German hybrid cultivar dating back to 1965. This succulent perennial belongs to the Crassulaceae family. All houseleeks grow spontaneously in rocky grassland, on rocks and scree, in clear and sunny situations, mainly in mountainous areas.

The 'Feldmaier' variety has thick and long roots that penetrate deeply into rock crevices, ensuring a good grip on the walls while drawing water from the depths. The plant slowly forms superb colonies of rosettes of different sizes, juxtaposed, reaching 10 to 12cm (4 to 5in) in diameter at maturity, and not exceeding 12cm (5in) in height. Over time, it can form a dense carpet by means of its stoloniferous stems, spreading over 40 to 60cm (16 to 24in) on the ground, perfectly following the terrain. Resembling a spread-out artichoke, each pruinose rosette is composed of numerous pointed leaves, without petioles, closely imbricated with each other. Their colour varies according to their age, the season, and the climatic conditions. Overall, they combine different shades of grey, greenish-bronze or copper, retaining a more pinkish hue at the base. Flowering appears on rosettes aged 2 or 3 years, which will then disappear, having ensured the plant's perpetuity by producing small daughter rosettes on the periphery. The 15 to 20cm (6 to 8in) tall flower stalks develop from June to August, formed by thick stems that bear 1 to 5 star-shaped flowers with 8 to 10 pink-purple petals.

Sempervivum 'Feldmaier', like all houseleeks, is an excellent plant for dry or alpine rock gardens. It thrives where few species survive, colonising abandoned spaces. You can enjoy this hardy perennial if your soil is poor, rather dry, stony, rocky, or even slightly chalky. It withstands temperatures below -15°C (5°F), requires no maintenance, and promises to bring life to any pile of stones, a wall, or even a green roof. Houseleeks are unusual and easy-to-care-for succulent plants that quickly become endearing. Their flowers and foliage in various shades create the desire to collect them, multiply them, and create astonishing landscapes in the most inhospitable places. They are magnificent in terms of their design when potted, especially in low terracotta pots, and are irreplaceable in borders, troughs, or rockeries, alongside wall bellflowers or Lewisia cotyledon. Consider choosing companions with staggered flowering times (sedums, thymes) and colourful foliage (bergenia, Euphorbia myrsinites) to create a varied and joyful rockery.