Sempervivum 'Café'
houseleek 'Café'
A mat-forming, evergreen succulent producing small, flat rosettes with abundant offsets, the fleshy, olive to brownish-green leaves have deep red to purple tints on the leaf margins. Tall spikes of starry pink flowers produced from mature rosettes, die off after flowering in summer and are replaced by new offsets
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Size
Ultimate height
Up to 10cmTime to ultimate height
2–5 yearsUltimate spread
0.1–0.5 metresGrowing conditions
Moisture
Well–drainedpH
Acid, Alkaline, NeutralColour & scent
| Stem | Flower | Foliage | Fruit | |
| Spring | Green Red Purple | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | Pink | Green Red Purple | ||
| Autumn | Green Red Purple | |||
| Winter | Green Red Purple |
Position
- Full sun
Aspect
East–facing or South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered Hardiness
H7Botanical details
- Family
- Crassulaceae
- Native to GB / Ireland
- No
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Habit
- Matforming
- Genus
Sempervivum are evergreen perennials forming mats of fleshy-leaved rosettes, often attractively coloured, with star-shaped pink or pale yellow flowers in summer
- Name status
Accepted
How to grow
Cultivation
Grow in moderately fertile sharply-drained soil with added grit, in full sun. Protect from excessive winter wet. Suitable for rock garden, scree bed, wall crevice, trough or alpine house. See sempervivum cultivation for further advice
Propagation
Propagate by seed sown in spring, or root offsets in spring
Suggested planting locations and garden types
- City and courtyard gardens
- Coastal
- Cottage and informal garden
- Gravel garden
- Patio and container plants
- Rock garden
- Low Maintenance
- Flower borders and beds
- Garden edging
- Ground cover
Pruning
No pruning required
Pests
May be susceptible to sempervivum leaf miner and vine weevil
Diseases
May be susceptible to a rust
Get involved
The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.