Echte Hauswurz, Dach-Hauswurz

created by Alex&Sempi at 19.03.2025

Season Overview

Propagating

Planting

Harvest

J

F

M

A

M

J

A

S

O

N

D

FROM YEAR 4

Description

The houseleek (Sempervivum tectorum), also known as roof houseleek, is probably the best-known member of the houseleek genus in the family Crassulaceae. It is widespread from Europe to western Asia, where it colonizes cracks in walls and crevices. It is most commonly found in the Mediterranean region. It has long been a classic in rock gardens in all its variations, but it is also often the first choice for green roofs. The roofroot is a very special plant: it has a very short stem with densely stacked leaves arranged in a rosette. Only the flower stalk protrudes from the rosette of leaves at flowering time. This structure makes it possible for the houseleek - like all houseleeks - to reduce evaporation to a minimum and survive long dry periods unscathed. The characteristic, evergreen rosettes have given the rockery plants poetic names: The perennial breeder Karl Foerster, for example, called them "stone roses". The color and shape of the 5 to 25-centimeter-high roofroot can vary: The rosette is sometimes open, sometimes closed, sometimes green, sometimes reddish to purple, sometimes golden yellow, brownish or bluish. The tips of the leaves can also vary in color. The rosette of the roofroot consists of inverted ovate to broad-lanceolate leaves. Their margins can be ciliate, the leaf edges pointed or rounded, the shape narrow or broad - the species is very variable. However, they are always fleshy and excellent water reservoirs. The flowering period of the houseleek lasts throughout the summer months, from June to August. The small star-shaped individual flowers can be white, yellowish, pink, rose or reddish in color. All houseleeks have similar flower structures.

Non hybrid

Frostproof