The Green Wheel Hens And Chicks, otherwise known as the Sempervivum ‘Green Wheel’ or Blue-Eyed Grass ‘Lucerne’, Grass Flower ‘Lucerne’, is a rather well known perennial plant by gardening enthusiasts around the world.
Best known for its average maintenance and slow growth, this perennial will likely liven up your house (or garden) with its green colored leaves. But, only if you learn how to take proper care of it for it to thrive.
Fortunately, this is exactly what we’ll cover in this Green Wheel Hens And Chicks Care Guide. So let’s dive in.
In order to take proper care of your Green Wheel Hens And Chicks you’ll need to keep in mind the following guidelines:
- Water: The Green Wheel Hens And Chicks needs at least weekly watering, or more in extreme heat, preferably with regular water.
- Light: Keep your Sempervivum ‘Green Wheel’ in an environment where it can receive full sun on a daily basis.
- Soil: Make sure to keep the Green Wheel Hens And Chicks in soil with well-draining properties, so ideally, one that is made of sand, chalk, and loam.
And as with many other plants, these are the only three care factors you need to remember to make sure your Green Wheel Hens And Chicks is, for the most part, healthy and well to survive.
Scientific / Botanical Aspects
In botanical terms, the Green Wheel Hens And Chicks belongs to the Iridaceae family, the genus Sisyrinchium and the species Angustifolium, hence its scientific (or botanical) name Sempervivum ‘Green Wheel’ (sem-per-VEE-vum).
As with other Sisyrinchium’s, the Green Wheel Hens And Chicks is an evergreen plant, which means it will be present year round in your garden.
Growing Region
The Green Wheel Hens And Chicks is a plant native to the North America.
Knowing your plant’s native region is very useful, as it can give you tips on which environment is best for your Green Wheel Hens And Chicks. If you keep it in mind, you can try to replicate these conditions at home, and you’ll likely end with a healthier plant.
With this in mind, the Sempervivum ‘Green Wheel’ will be most used to the heat zones in the 5 – 8 region, as the plant hardiness level falls between 4a, 4b, 5b, 5a, 6b, 6a, 7b, 7a, 8a, 8b, 9b, 9a and the ideal climate zone is between 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24.
Growth and Size
Growth
In terms of size and growth, the Green Wheel Hens And Chicks is a relatively slow grower, which makes things easy for any plant enthusiast.
Size
But, how big does the Green Wheel Hens And Chicks actually get? What should you expect in terms of size? Let’s dive right in…
The Sempervivum ‘Green Wheel’ can grow up to 10″ (25cm) in 10″ (25cm) and 1′ – 2′ (30cm – 60cm) in 1′ – 2′ (30cm – 60cm).
These dimensions make the Green Wheel Hens And Chicks a relatively medium perennial compared to others, so it’s best to keep this fact in mind since it will affect where you want to keep yours at home.
Also, expect it to grow in a wonderful spreading shape, which is something worthwhile to remember when making your garden landscape plans.
This is why experts recommend keeping an area of approximately 15″ (37cm) free so the Green Wheel Hens And Chicks can spread to its best extent.
Water
In terms of watering, the Green Wheel Hens And Chicks is a fairly simple plant to take care of.
This is mostly because it has a straightforward watering schedule and somewhat regular watering needs.
Specifically, most experts agree that the Sempervivum ‘Green Wheel’ needs at least weekly watering, or more in extreme heat, preferably with regular water.
Which is why it is considered a plant with relatively average needs in terms of water.
Watering
As a rule of thumb, you should remember to keep your Green Wheel Hens And Chicks in soil with well-draining characteristics, as these will guarantee the right conditions for your plant to grow and thrive.
When you consider this, this is why you should aim to choose soil that has good drainage, moist, and occasionally dry properties to keep the right moisture levels at all times.
But, if you want a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to watering your Green Wheel Hens And Chicks then you should consider the famous ‘finger’ test. To perform this test, you just need to put your finger in your plant’s soil and determine if it’s moist or not. If it is, then don’t water; if it isn’t, then please do. In any case, this test will allow you to know if your Green Wheel Hens And Chicks needs or does not need water, every time.
Soil Mix
As mentioned earlier, the Green Wheel Hens And Chicks prefers to have soil with good drainage, moist, and occasionally dry properties at all times, reason why you need to make the soil mix out of sand, chalk, and loam.
In addition to this, expert gardeners recommend having preferably neutral to acid soil.
Light and Exposure
In terms of light & exposure, the Green Wheel Hens And Chicks requires full sun in order for it to thrive under the right conditions.
Most experts agree that this perennial will do well as long as you keep it in partial to full sun, and it will be able to grow properly.
Specifically, we recommend that you place your Sempervivum ‘Green Wheel’ in from little to partial shade (only 2-6 hours of direct sunlight a day), to dappled or moderate shade (under other plant’s canopy), to full and direct sun (more than 6 hours of direct sunlight per day).
Season
Being an evergreen plant, the Green Wheel Hens And Chicks will be present year round in your garden.
But, you can expect it to have its ‘prime-time’ during the spring (late), and during the summer (early).
Flowers
You can expect your Green Wheel Hens And Chicks to flower around the spring and in the summer months from April to June (spring), and from July to September (summer).
In particular, this perennial is well known for its showy flowers around the plant enthusiast community.
The Green Wheel Hens And Chicks produces some beautiful pink, or gold/yellow, blue and purple/lavender flowers around this time of year.
Foliage
The leaves from the Green Wheel Hens And Chicks have a beautiful green color during most of the year.
Garden
Now, let’s talk garden and how your Green Wheel Hens And Chicks will look best in it.
Most Sempervivum ‘Green Wheel’ owners agree that this perennial will look great in most rustic, mediterranean and xeric gardens of all types.
Other owners consider that they complement well most gardens of gravel and rock garden, city and courtyard, and in informal and cottage styles.
In particular, the Green Wheel Hens And Chicks’s best location within your garden is in ground covers, beds and borders, edging, and in patio and containers, others use it for landscaping in a green roof, container, raised bed, firescaping/fire wise, mass planting, or a rock garden.
Companion Plants
Green Wheel Hens And Chicks’s do well with some other plants beside it. One good companion plant is the Coreopsis, which will pair up nicely with your leafy friend.
Others consider that a nice Sedum will work well too, so choose whichever you find works best for you!
Conclusion
So that’s it! These are the main plant care requirements that you need to keep in mind in order to have a healthy Green Wheel Hens And Chicks in your garden or home.
