Arif, I'm guessing what would be there are other types of alpines, but not sempervivum

Why? The Eurasian belt ends here at the Pamirs then others start. Each of these belts has a different eco-system . Open up Koppens map and look at how many eco-systems surround me, the question is which to target? Except for that lime green belt in Turkey, rest you can find here. As to that lime green belt, that is also there in US South East but no Semps grow there. So lime green(humidity) is out.
First let the experts decide Semps love the chill or the heat. Then let them decide if they like deep shade, medium shade, light shade, bright sun and if so for how many hours a day? Humidity, moisture, etc. Do they like the same conditions as Sedums and do not let your local growing conditions colour your discourse? Let me have some serious info other then . Not your fault though, you and I joined at roughly the same time.
Unless like the Sedums I come across them accidentally then post their pics for ID, I do not stand a chance.
Something like that Mazari palm available there at prohibitive prices and I find out that they grow wild next to me?
Regards,
Arif.

Here is something I read about semps...They occur from Morocco to Iran, through the mountains of Iberia, the Alps, Carpathians, Balkan mountains, Turkey, the Armenian mountains, in the northeastern part of the Sahara Desert, and the Caucasus. Their ability to store water in their thick leaves allows them to live on sunny rocks and stony places in the mountain, subalpine and alpine belts.
So you are right there is no reason you shouldn't be able to find them locally, and wild (I didn't realize they could be found in "wild" in subalpine locations)
Like some other plants of Southern Europe, their ancestors have likely a subtropical origin. Morphologically, they are closely linked with the genera Jovibarba, Aeonium, Greenovia, Aichryson, and Monanthes, occurring mainly in Macaronesia (Azores, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Madeira).
Seems to me they're highly adaptable and therefore able to be in full sun, or less full sun...I only know they like cold temps, they just settle in and get really full and healthy looking when its been cold, with less rain - again though, that's my personal growing situation, and there could very well be other conditions (unknown to me) which cause them to grow so well in this Pacific Northwest area. That I know of, we do not have any wild here in our mountains. Only sedums.
Hope this helps add to your considerations!

All your pics are beautiful, but I going to wait and think some more before planting these types of plants.

Don't know if I'll have space for them with everything I have arriving this Spring.

Sedums, Worts and Ferns grow wild on North Western slopes of mountains, which means well lit and down but no direct sun. South Eastern slopes get full sun all day long and are mostly Arid and comparatively hotter with patches of green here and there. Unless I am not looking for Semps(not possible) I have so far not seen them on NW slopes. Now what exactly is the difference between the first two and the last? Should I start exploring the empty wastes of the SE slopes and find out what those few isolated patches of green are? Exactly how much heat can these things withstand? See, we lower down can go up to 45c but these SE slopes must be touching mid thirties. I wish I had a few 20'ish monkeys to scramble around.
Regards,
Arif.

Let us know if you change your mind. But we hope you stay here to play with us anyway.

You can always grow a container of them Marilyn.

Arif, the semps and jovibarba come from the areas of the mountains above the tree line. In those high altitudes the summer temperatures are colder at night.
http://stalikez.info/fsm/semp/...
http://botany.cz/en/sempervivu...
http://stalikez.info/fsm/semp/...
http://stalikez.info/fsm/semp/...

Ahhh, lovin' the clump shots!!
I need to redo the soil in my pots, I hope there are some basic recipes pinned somewhere for quick reference.
Just came across one of my semp/succulent shots from my garden I left behind, I so wish I had pulled up more plants (and my rocks) as the new owners are sadly not gardeners, at all. I cried when I last saw the condition of my beloved plantings.




All my aeoniums took a hit with the frost we had, I have a lot of clean-up to do and they will take a while to recover but I love them. The semps of course and the sedums & quite a few of the echeverias are looking fine.

Sue, thanks for the photos. We are very close in zone; I am in Santa Rosa and that got me thinking to ask you if your semps and echeverias (which I see together in your photos) are out in much sun exposure where they are planted. I have been afraid to put them together because I thought echevs couldn't take too much sun and were more cold tender and semps not so much. I have my echevs planted close to house but my semps are out in the open. I would love to take advantage of their differences and plant them in one bed. Have yours been planted together like that for a while, because they seem to be doing well? And do you need to do anything protection-wise for your echevs during these temps in the mid 30's at nite?

Bev, those shots were from my last garden in San Jose. I live near you now, moved up 2 years ago! I am right off Lone Pine, Lone Pine nursery is within walking distance!

I brought up over 600 potted plants (all kinds), most of the echeverias are still in pots tucked in around the house, some more exposed than others and surprisingly, for the most part, they all fared pretty good. My first year here I figured if I lost something then it wasn't meant to be, I have plenty to take care of. This year I plan to refresh the soil in all the pots.

I have these planted all over the yard, mostly full sun


and the ones that are currently only getting 1/2 day sun got frosted and turned to mush, mostly the larger ones, they stayed too damp. The babies are OK.
The Graptopetalum really do well, they are scattered throughout the garden too and show no damage. Dudleya also does well.

Sue those photos are beautiful. I have found that even in my zone 8 I am able to leave my echeveria outside over winter. I keep them under the roof over our deck, and keep them on the dry side. I am finding the combination of wet and cold is what does them in.
I don't think you get the rain we have during winter and spring.
I look forward to seeing more of your succulents plants as you get them repotted. That is going to be a very large task.

We are supposed to get lots of rain, 40" is average up here and it's all in the winter months but we have had under average rainfall so far this winter. Getting some tomorrow.

Sue, It must be so "dangerous" to live so close to Lone Pine. I just did a review of that nursery 2 days ago.
I also used to live in San Jose. I have this memory of the PG&E man coming over to the back yard to look at the lines hanging near the trees...and watching him put his work boots squarely on top of my beautiful foot tall apple green cotyledon squashing it. When I expressed disbelief that he did that, he said "what plant, was there a plant there?"

LOL! I also had a pole with lines in my yard, dreaded their tree trimming visits!

I have purposely not been to Lone Pine since our move, I have enough plants, ha!! I hit all the local nurseries and there sure are plenty of them!

Lynn I was talking about daytime temperature nighttime you need protection. Tree line Lynn you know where and at what altitude the tree line ends . Mountain tree line and flat tree line are different. Look up Concordia on Google again and just look what happens when the treeline finishes. 15000 feet plus is not a sneeze that a plant from there you can easily grow in Oregon.
Sedum fischeri Hamet
Sedum hispanicum L.
Sedum multicaule Wall. ex Lindl.
Sedum oreades (Decne.) Hamet
Sedum trullipetalum Hook. f. & Thomson
These have been reported here.
" Their ability to store water in their thick leaves allows them to live on sunny rocks and stony places in the mountain, subalpine and alpine belts".
From the above I think I should look for them on the South Eastern slopes. The other side has no sun.
Regards,
Arif.

Great info! I love the combo of semps with sedums (hardy and tender) and echeverias! As a matter of habit I just bring my plants indoors for winter, but as I replant I will probably pot plants that can handle being out all winter - and do a test!

Arif - sounds like a good idea! Also if it looks like a succulent, it probably is - of some form or another! And it is amazing how being in zone 7-8 we can "stretch" the potential for plants living here (as you've read) by providing more of what a plant will need to survive...being in a more shady/sunny location, providing more/less nutrients...fast draining soil, as you suggested in an earlier thread, placing a plant near a vent...all these allow plants to grow here, and our summer temps although never hot, don't dip into the too cold temps either, so many plants can make it! (its partly why I love Seattle, there is such a diversity of trees and plants!) The ones that do the best though are ones which are originally from "like" environments - flowers developed in the Netherlands and plants from Europe where similar conditions exist...I'm very curious what you find! (I'm pretty sure most Echeverias are also from the Americas...possibly some from southern Africa)

Sue, love your photos!
Thanks

Sue, beautiful pictures. How great to be able to mix different succulents together like that in a garden - it's lovely! I couldn't imagine moving 600 plants. And I can imagine the heartbreak at seeing your old gardens not being cared for. They obviously don't realize how much love and work goes into something like that.

it is heartbreaking...often I think people just don't see plants (as in Bev's example - so focused on what they're doing that they don't even notice a living thing beneath their boot!)

I regretted leaving many behind but with each truckload we filled and moved to my Mom's, where we lived for 7 months awaiting the short sale close for the house we were buying, I became more and more distressed, mortified actually. It was clear I had a plant obsession! And we had to move them twice!