Chick Charms® Berry Blues Hens & Chicks

Chick Charms® Berry Blues™ Hens & Chicks adds cool blue rosettes that shift toward berry tones as temperatures change. Sempervivum 'Pacific Blue Ice' forms medium to large rosettes under 3 inches tall, spreading to about 12 inches wide as offsets gather around the mother plant. The silvery blue-green leaves can flush pink, purple, or burgundy in cool weather, with fine hairs along the edges and subtle watermarked patterning. We recommend it in rock gardens and shallow bowls where the color change can be noticed up close. This Chick Charms® selection is a hardy evergreen succulent with a strong offset habit and easy propagation from chicks. Pink flowers may rise on taller stalks in summer, and the flowering rosette will decline afterward while younger rosettes continue the planting. Chick Charms® Berry Blues™ Hens & Chicks is drought tolerant, deer resistant, rabbit resistant, pet safe, and well suited to lean planting conditions. Plant it in rock gardens, troughs, wall crevices, dry edging, roof gardens, patio containers, and low groundcover-style clusters. Chick Charms® Berry Blues™ Hens & Chicks Care Plant Chick Charms® Berry Blues™ Hens & Chicks in full sun to filtered sun, with afternoon shade helpful when temperatures stay above 80 degrees F. It grows best in gritty, sandy, sharply drained soil with low to average fertility; avoid wet winter soil. Acidic to neutral soil is suitable. Water once after planting to settle the roots, then allow the soil to dry well before watering again. Established plants need minimal water in the ground, though container plantings may need weekly watering during hot, dry weather. Fertilizer is typically unnecessary. In very lean containers, apply only a light spring feeding with a low-nitrogen fertilizer. Keep gravel around the rosettes so leaves rest above damp soil. Remove dried lower leaves when they loosen from the rosette. After a mature hen blooms, cut away the spent flower stalk and fading rosette once surrounding chicks have filled in. Protect containers from heavy winter rain, and use pots with drainage holes so the crown never sits in standing water. Chick Charms® Berry Blues™ Hens & Chicks Spacing Space Chick Charms® Berry Blues™ Hens & Chicks about 8 to 10 inches apart in rock gardens, edging, and low succulent groupings. In mixed bowls, leave a little open gravel between rosettes so the chicks have room to expand. For containers, choose a shallow pot at least 6 to 8 inches wide with drainage holes, and use a gritty cactus or succulent mix. In sunny dry beds, combine Chick Charms® Berry Blues™ Hens & Chicks with yarrow and red hot poker, which tolerate lean soil and add taller flowers above the low rosettes. Include lavender if drainage is sharp and airflow is good for fragrant foliage beside the cool blue succulent color. In containers, use purslane around the edge for heat-tolerant seasonal flowers that share the same low-water needs. Consider buying several different types of Chick Charms to create a carefree garden that has different colors all year. These are perfect for gardeners with brown thumbs.