Can you tell me what this is

Can anyone please tell me what this plant is??? is it suitable for outdoors?, if so what protection is needed over winter? can i take cuttings, if so how? I bought it and have no idea what it is, I just thought it looked lovely! No tags on it to identify it or how to look after it. Please help, any information would be very helpful!

Looks like an aeonium - house leek. Will need brought in or put somewhere very sheltered as wet or cold will kill it.

Oops, didn't read the bit about cuttings. You can break a bit off, let it dry out for a day or two and then then put it in sandy or gritty compost and it will root easily. These plants need to be kept on the dry side esp. over winter. If repotting mix lots of grit or sand in with the compost. They should flower for you if you let them bake(hopefully) next summer in full sun in a sheltered position.

I tried to overwinter mine last year in a sheltered spot and they did not make it. Indoors it needs to be.

Thank you so much, now I know what it is, I can do my research! I have potted it 50% grit and 50% compost. I will need to bring it in then for now before the frost sets in and hopefully we will have a nice summer for it to go back out and flower. Thanks again x

Thanks also Kate1123, the last thing I want to do is kill it now, it's taken me that long to find out what it is, so tonight, it will be cosy indoors! I have a few similar types, again, not 100% sure what they are, but they seem to be doing well outside at the moment and multiplying quite rapidly. (possibly alpine types or something similar) I would think they may also need to be inside over winter. Not going to be much room in the house by the time i've finished! I'm new to gardening, now I have a garden and seem to have gone for all the high maintenence plants, suppose it helps if you know what they are and how to look after them! A lesson to be learned I think.

Can you post photos of the others as I have some that happily live outdoors.

Apologies for the delay, i've had to bring them in to get pic's, too dark outside now. I have a few of these dotted about the garden, all in pots.

I have to say that they both look like succulents that need to be kept frost free. The first one has multiplied beautifully so you definitely do not want to lose that one.

I am actually trying to grow more hardy plants as I have run out of window sills, you may need to consider this or start saving for a heated greenhouse

Yes the 1st one has done really well, the dog manages to knock the top off them all the time, I re-pot the part that's fallen off and they grow on really well. The only problem now is like you say, finding window sill space! I will have a fare few to bring indoors. Yes your right, def need to start looking into plants before I buy them!I just love the look of these types. My aim was a few pots of evergreen, without going for bushes. (as all need to be in pots, large or small) thank you very much for yoy help and advice x

I have a huge Aeonium that I bring into the house in the winter--the stems are brittle, so if they break off they are easy to root. I have given many away--and have overwintered some backup plants in my cool greenhouse, kept at 10*C. As for the others, I would bring in the second, the first will probably be okay outside as long as it is sheltered from rain. They will rot if too wet.

These are very similar but hardy

http://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/features/structural/growing-sempervivums/1114.html

but the echeverias are tender

http://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/echeveria-elegans/3717.html

Thanks everyone for all youe help and advice. Inkadog - I hope I manage to get some cuttings, it is a beautiful plant, don't have a greenhouse just yet (but my birthdays coming up) so will all be indoors this year! Kate - Thanks fo the links, I will look into them, they look really pretty too. As i've just started out, All the flowers I have planted, all seem to flower at the same time, so I need to do a bit more research into what else to plant out, so the colour keeps coming throughout the year. I thought the succulents would keep it green at least instead of having lots of empty pots. I made my own large wooden planters this year (3 1/2 feet high, 4 feet wide and deep) I will be gutted when the first frost comes and everything dies off! Don't suppose you can become a gardener overnight, i'm sure it takes years of experience to get it right. Thanks again to everyone x

Hi, yes definitely aeonium and tender as has been said.

I just wanted to remove any confusion - Houseleeks are sempervivum, not aeonium.  Sempervivum are hardy http://www.gardenersworld.com/forum/plants/sempervivum-succulents/houseleeks/2819.html

Thanks Dovefromabove