Sempervivum succulents/houseleeks?

Wintersongs photo (below) has inspired me to grow some Sempervivum succulents. Can anyone please recommend an online supplier of these plants? Id like to grow them in my grey slate pots on the patio as I think they would contrast well, but I need to read up on how to look after them also.

Cheers

Wintersong wrote (see)

Hello Leadfarmer - I bought a pack of 6 plants from my local garden centre and I know that Homebase stock them in the Spring- i think you will find them readily available - look in the Alpine section  They are easy to look after !This is one of my sinks

Pam x

Don't go on line. Much better to select ones you like when you see them close up in a garden centre. A few are named - such as a favourite of ours, Blue Boy, but most don't have a name, and some  of them are very unusual. Last weekend OH went shopping for some more, and found some being sold in packs of six. She 'rearranged' the display so that she had a pack containing the most attractive ones, and those that had 'babies' that will soon be ready for potting on (naughty girl!!).

You may need to shop around, go to more tha one garden centre to find a good range. This is the best time of year as they have new stock in for the year. 

PS: they are so easy to look after. Just give them free draining compost / soil and let them get on with it. They can stand drought with no problem. Just forget about them when you go on holiday, even if its in a heatwave.When the central rosette flowers it dies, by which time there will be lots of babies on the outside to replant.

Thanks everyone. Nice photo lilylouise

I popped to my local garden centre today and they had them on offer, 7 for £10, so I bought 7 .

How large do they spread? And how quickly do they spread? I have 4 planters that Im going to put them in, each planter is about 12" x 12" square. Sould I just put a couple in each and see what happens, or should I cram more in?

Thanks

I'm always dividing mine, every summer. I have too many now! So some will go in the garden this year. They are so difficult to kill that a few spare ones sat in an empty seedtray all winter and they are still alive!

They look great Wintersong. So do the crowns/rosettes only grow to a certain size? And do they spread by growing babies at the sides?

Yes and yes

The sizes in my photos are about fully grown and as mentioned already, flowering rosettes die but you get loads of babies as replacement that you can just leave attached or gently pull off (they come with a teeny tap root) and re-pot. They are very vigorous if kept dry from rot and extremely easy. And the colours and displays in summer are beautiful. They have a happy look about them in full sun.

I need more red ones for variety and last year I bought a bluish Echeveria Elegans which looked a gonna this winter but it's sprouting from lower down the base, so I am thrilled!

Hi Everyone, You may be interested to know that in olden times they were often grown on the thatched rooftops of farmworkers, to add an extra layer or to look good I don't know, but the common name for them was: 'Welcome home husband, however drunk you may be'

I pulled a couple of babies off today and potted them up. Not sure if I did it correctly though. Is there any particular technique for doing this?

i grew a load from seed from Mr f's I think. Ever so easy to do and they grow really quickly. I have some in my rubbery and another load in my tin bath with my topairy mermaid.