Red Rubin is finally going to town with chicks and it's colors have change dramatically.

The colors are awesome!! Looks like its getting 2 layers of chicks too. Very nice one!

Yes, it just started the second layer.

I got my S. 'Red Rubin' as a rescue plant at, well, you know, one of those big box stores. Was surprised to see how nice the color is and most of them survived the winter (and rescuing) quite well. $0.25 per pot! A worthy addition to the collection, as Lynn's picture shows.

$.25 ! What a deal! Stores around here would throw them out before they'd reduce the price that much. I really have to get this one, just love it.

Don't go buy it Chris. I have 3 plants that are making babies. Won't be ready until they start rooting, but well worth the wait. This is one of the plants my DIL bought me for Mothers Day. We packaged them up and mailed them home. Took them a little over a week to find there way here. They all were pretty sad looking when I finally got them. I think that is what caused the very lite colored background leaves. Won't know until next year if it will do this two tone layering under normal conditions. How have your colored up twitch?

Right Lynn! Chris, I also will likely have a few to trade shortly. The two tone color appears normal to me. I'm seeing that in mine as well, but not to the extent shown in Lynn's picture. They are, however, mostly a deep, strong red and seem to hold their color well through the seasons. Remember that these can change so much depending on history and conditions. You need to grow them through a couple of years to see what they really do.

Trading is great, but remember that the people that have large collections and sell them do us all a service by keeping these plants available for all of us. So please buy some too.

Note that I have had private conversations with two of the larger, more famous Hen & Chick growers who have both indicated that they are reducing their stocks. That is a sad portent for the future.

Some of my Red Rubin showing the silvery outer leaves. Note that this feature is also showing on the chicks.

That sounds wonderful to me to trade...I have plenty of time. Thanks for the offers! These are such tough little plants. I've got some in the mail already that look pretty bad and in a day or two after planting they perk right up. Twitcher, the silvery leaves on yours is gorgeous too!

Sorry to hear about the growers reducing their stock. I agree that we need to support these companies also. So when yours start forming large clumps, what do you both do with all the plants? They multiply so fast I'm having a hard time keeping up with them. I've done the topiaries, pots, given them away, and still have way more than I need.

Many do not reproduce fast. I have some nice ones that make maybe one or two chicks before they die off. But you are right, overpopulation can be a problem. So far, I've managed to trade away much of my extra. Of course, the new plants are also increasing, so eventually there will be a problem. From time to time I will give away a box of extra plants for postage to help a newby get going. I also have some good relations with a nearby nursery that I think will take them for sale if/when I need to. I am also slowly getting rid of my no-id ones, as I replace them with similar named cultivars.

twitch & Chris, I am going to send you a Cmail.
I have sent to those just starting out in semps. Just had them send postage. It's such a great way to help some one get started. Mine has been on such a small scale as this is the first year I have had time to do anything serious with them. I have already spent my plant money for the year on 45 new varieties from the co-op, and another 9 from North Hills Nursery. I haven't bought anything from Squaw Mountain this year. Last year that is where I got 21 new varieties from. Those are the chicks that I am getting new starts from this year. The North Hills Nursery ones all came with chicks in their 2 for 1 sale. Wow, what that every a great deal. Very nice plants.
I am already finding that some are heavy producers and some very light or none. One of my last fall chicks is going to flower and never produced a chick. : ( I read that there are a few varieties that can do this, not all of that variety or they wouldn't be around anymore, but they have a history of some chicks not reproducing. For me that is not a reason to quit growing a particular semp, if everyone did that pretty soon it would be lost to us. But I can see where it would be a problem commercially.

Wow, Lynn, that Red Ruben is a beautiful thing! It's that contasting ring of different colored petal that makes it a show stopper. It looks almost like a Wreath around it's self. I think it's almost time for me to come over for another succulent tour

I will save a chick for you Diana.

That's a beauty Lynn! it caught my eye anyway.

I looked for it here, every time I see you semps I go on a hunt.

I found some called 'Rubin' which are red on the outer tips, maybe they go more red with heat.

The RHS has a list of completed trials, one is called Red Lynn. Must be one of yours. They have Rubin listed too.

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/planttr...

I did find a site which has an all red one called Rubin Red, same one?

http://www.plants-uk.co.uk/ful...

Hi Janet. I wish Red Lynn was one of mine.
Here is a great German link to cultivars.
http://www.semperhorst.de/Dieh...

The Rubin they show looks very much like my Red Rubin. It can get very confusing, kind of like your bugs.
The Red Lynn is a ANDRÉ SMITS,1989 from Belgium. I have not found it here in the USA. : ( What a bummer for me, it looks very interesting.

I can't seem to find anything on Rubin Red other than that one tiny info link you provided. Every time I do a search for Rubin Red it gives me Red Rubin. Opps, I did an advanced google search. It came up with 2 sites in England for Rubin Red with good pictures. That definitely isn't the same as Red Rubin.

So far I haven't been able to find the beginnings of Red Rubin. The updates on new cultivars are way behind. Wish I could find a link for that kind for info on new cultivars.

Wow, this if fun digging into info on these plants.
Wish there was a way to send some to you.

Sure is fun!

I coulsn't believe all the cultivars on that site, and that was just in the R's! My eyes kept popping out, got to hold them in as I couldn't cope with many more plants.

There is a site here dedicated to semps, the one link which might have been good is no longer functional, Mill Walk House nursery.

http://www.fernwood-nursery.co...

Click on the 'links' to find more.

I found 3,619 cultivars listed but still no Red Rubin!

http://miklanek.tripod.com/MCS...

From this site, which might be interesting (use the English flag)

http://stalikez.info/fsm/semp/...

Have you tried this Japanese one. Think your eyes are trying to pop out now, what till you see this one.
http://www.succulents.jp/photo...

The Martin Miklanek list of cultivars is in my Links, it is great for reference.
I Bookmarked the Fernwood site as it has many interesting things on it, thank you for posting it.

The last one is one that twit showed us and it is now in our Links. It is another great reference site.
Wow, what else are you finding Janet?

Thanks for the link to the Japanese site!!!!! I had to install a Japanese
font set but it was automatic and easy. I was amazed at how every
thumbnail enlarged when the curser (sp?) went over it. And the seemingly
never ending varieties........... I had no idea that there were so many and
they are so beautiful. I bookmarked the site.

Louise

I just knew you would love that site Louise. I can spend all day on there looking at the different cutlitvars.
Have you had a chance to look at it yet Janet? Is Janet lost over on the Japanese site?

I'm here!

I was going to go back and take a better look at the Japanese site last night, I had too much else to do and forgot! Well, I was stood outside on a chair taking pics of moths.

It looks like the site I came across when clicking on a couple of links on the German site, the pics were from there but I didn't see all that alphabet at the top!

It's great to be able to pop the pics up with hovering over them. It's unbelievable how many cultivars there are, yet they all look different!