Well, this is one that I won't be whacking anytime. There is nothing to whack! I have never seen a semp bloom like this.

schrecka said:Yay, Bev, you found some of my experiments! Here's the full write-up on everything those poor things went through: https://mountaincrestgardens.c...

Annie, informative article link, and superb photos!

MelissaHopper said:Well, this is one that I won't be whacking anytime. There is nothing to whack! I have never seen a semp bloom like this.

Melissa, maybe this particular hen won't die, such an anomalous flowering growth.

Bev, you saw Henry? How is he doing.

Now that is really different Melissa. And I see the rosette is still producing offsets? Wonder if they will bloom?

It will be interesting to watch.

Henry is fine. He was driving the fort lift and looked happy. He said he had a nice garden at home with semps and sedum that he enjoys caring for.

That is good to hear. Thank you Bev.

It will be very interesting to see what that semp does going into winter. Keep us updated Melissa.

I had meant to summarize results with taking "florachicks" on blooming semps, but the season got ahead of me. Had mixed results depending on cultivar, here are some random observations. Had several florachicks mixed among the flowers of S. 'Andrenor', one being a fused pair of chicks. A couple died, but this fused-double chick is rooted, and so is the little one in back.


'Galahad' florachicks were all determined to resort to flowering, only got three that did not flower, two are week and with all our rain are showing some rot, just the single bigger one in foreground looks like it'll make it, although has to go through the winter.


'Neptune' now, isn't she beautiful? Still has 2 florachicks on her, but no need to worry, had high success rate with this one, harvesting all of the chicks tightly sandwiched under lower leaf layers on the flowering rosette, see next photo.


Partial view of one of my "chickery" areas, left to right are "Cuckoo', 'Viking', and 'Neptune'. I have 3-4 pots full of Neptune chicks now, growing strong.


Last vestiges of 'Raspberry Ice', this one surprised me because by all appearances all of the regrowth after the amputation procedure looked like regular chicks, they even rooted, but this one too was determined to flower itself out... you can still see one that has a bud. The ones that remain do indeed look like regular chicks, will see if they survive the winter.

Melissa, how is this one doing?

MelissaHopper said:Well, this is one that I won't be whacking anytime. There is nothing to whack! I have never seen a semp bloom like this.

AntMan01 said:
Partial view of one of my "chickery" areas, left to right are "Cuckoo', 'Viking', and 'Neptune'. I have 3-4 pots full of Neptune chicks now, growing strong.


Last vestiges of 'Raspberry Ice', this one surprised me because by all appearances all of the regrowth after the amputation procedure looked like regular chicks, they even rooted, but this one too was determined to flower itself out... you can still see one that has a bud. The ones that remain do indeed look like regular chicks, will see if they survive the winter.

Mark your chickery semps are looking great.
I have found that 'Raspberry Ice' can be finicky at times. But most of yours look like they will come through winter and take off growing in the spring.

Going back one month, when 'Neptune wasn't looking so close to death, it had two really large florachicks on it, amusingly so, I did cut them off and planted them up, so far they still look good.

It appears that 'Neptune' is one hardy semp, even when it does crazy things.

I need to check on my 'Artist' florichecks and see how they are doing.

valleylynn said:
I need to check on my 'Artist' florichecks and see how they are doing.

Couldn't remember what 'Artist' looks like, wowza that's a stunner, hope your florachicks survive.

It rained so I didn't get out and get a photo. I'll try again tomorrow.

Lynn, it never bloomed anymore than in that picture. In fact I haven't been paying much attention to it so I went and took a current picture.



The stalk never got any taller and the blooms never opened and now it looks to me like the bloom stalk is putting out offsets. Another odd behavior in a very weird year.

Wow!! What can I say, that is really weird. But oh so cute.

Melissa that's great! I had several do that this year too

Any of you see your semps coning already. Never seen that this time of year.

I haven't noticed any here yet Julia. Maybe I should take a better look?

Not here either.

Julia - Yep but this isn't the first year I've seen that...semps blooming underneath the tarps