“First Plant Photograph of 2014 – Sempervivum tectorum” – Whitney Avenue – Wilkinsburg, PA – We are experiencing temperatures in the 50’s after a long cold spell… The snow pack is finally melting… I managed to find some life in yesterdays sunshine… Expect my first gallery of the year soon…
“A Plant a Day till Spring” will highlight one plant a day, starting on the winter solstice (December 21, 2013)… And ending on the vernal equinox (March 20, 2014)… If all goes to plan I will be starting with old Snowdrop photos from 2013… And ending with new photos of Snowdrops in 2014…
I want to start this off by mentioning the common name “Hens-and-Chicks” is shared by quite a few plants… True “Hens-and-Chicks” are members of the Crassulacea family… The name is also used by plants in the genus “Sempervivum” and “Jovibarba“… Though these plants are technically different… For the purpose of this post they will all be lumped into one group…
The plant photographed above is – Sempervivum tectorum
Now… I’d be willing to bet most of the gardeners reading this post have grown “Hens-and-Chicks” (A.K.A “Hens-and-Biddles” in the Southern States of the U.S.) at one time or another… HAC is an effortless plant to grow… They are a succulent so watering is rarely needed… They do not require fertilizer… Ever… And they can grow in sun or shade… The patch will be fuller in the sun… And they will never bloom in the shade… But they will grow…
The mature plants (Hens) send out runners with new plants on them (chicks)… These can be cut off and transplanted or shared easily… The roots are extremely shallow… Because of this they can be a bit difficult in high-traffic areas of the garden… They are very easily disturbed… Although they can handle occasional abuse… Regular abuse will kill them… Kids seem to be drawn to these plants… They always want to pick them up… If you have small children they may have to be reminded a few times of the fact that these plants are not toys…
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Today is expected to be in the 50’s here in Pittsburgh, PA… So…
plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello
If you want some science – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hen_and_chicks
These “Plant a Day Till Spring” posts are simply intended to kill time until spring when I start writing more… My source (where applicable) is Wikipedia.org… The photography is all my own… And I am adding my own information…
This website and all of the information presented within is provided free by the author… Me… It is my sole opinion and is not representative of anyone other than myself… You can contact me directly with questions at – c.condello@hotmail.com
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chriscondello 