DEATH BLOOMS
Given A Choice To Save A Life, Would You?
I won’t.
Sempervivum is a succulent. This name given to it is a Latin word that means “forever alive”. Which is ironic, this plant being named forever alive because sempervivum dies after it flowers. No wonder its flowers are referred to as death blooms.
This succulent, also called houseleek and hens and chicks, only flowers once in its lifetime. Lifetime being only up to five years. When it flowers, you’d know that the death of the plant is a foregone conclusion.
But the plant may get to live longer — if you are lucky — if you cut the flower (or the chick) that is attached to the mother (or hen) via the stolon or the runner.
To do this (based on several gardening books), you need to cut the sempervivum flower attached to the runner (or stalk). You must make sure that it already has roots when cut.
Then, it can then be planted either in a pot or in another area in the garden.
This may be the basis of it being called forever alive; the dead mother rosette providing reproduction via its mini rosettes.
