Another question I've been thinking about. I searched the forums but didn't really find a detailed answer. Does anyone know how long a semp will/can live? I've read they grow the first year, produce the second and flower the third before dying. Are they any semps that have longer life cycles, etc.? I'm really trying to learn all about them.

That's a great question, Chad. I have been wondering about that.

Karen, I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks about some of these things.

Technically, they can live forever by producing offsets that live on and produce more offsets in turn. Each individual rosette on the other hand lasts only a few years before flowering and then withering away.
Remember that all current individuals of any cultivar all came from the same one plant. And that cultivar may possibly be around thousands of years from now. Whether or not it's all the same plant is a matter of semantics.

@tcstoehr, thanks for the response.

Chad and Karen and others, there are semps that don't bloom as readily or in contrast some that bloom easily. I personally can't remember exactly which ones don't bloom often, from my experience tectorum and arach types seem to bloom easily and often. The rollers a little less so, and then calcareums less than that even.
Lynn has a thread on the forum called Vignettes by Kevin or something, and I think in there he talks about semps that rarely bloom so it is challenging to him for hybridizing.

Chad. this mother semp on the left, I got in 2013 and it was the size of the small offset on lower right. It took two years to increase to it's present size and have an offset (shown in photo) This year (2017) I see tiny gren tufts on stolons that I assume will be offsets. Reproductive schedule is a little off and it grows really slow, but the original mother semp is still alive. So it's been 3+ years and still hasn't bloomed.

I have had them for maybe 25 years can't really say it the same ones they just keep multiplying. For the most part mine do not flower maybe one it two a year, never really thought about the life span. I would guess mine are all of the Sempervivum tectorum type.
These came from a small pot we too from my wife's parents house. Kind of got out of control just started sticking them in pots

@herrwood, I got started with mine by taking some from my moms a couple of years ago. Mine haven't multiplied as much as yours have but in time they will (I hope).... I love how you have them everyone. It's kind of funny though, the ones I took from my mom were on the medium size at her place and I noticed this year they grew pretty large for me which I loved.I would plant them everywhere at my place but I keep thinking I'm going to be running out of space soon if mine continue to grow. This past year I've gotten interested in the different varieties to see what else I can find to grow in my climate. I know if nothing else makes it, her original one is pretty dependable for me and I can just go back to it.

Chad, that's great that you have semps from your mother. Mine grew them, but I never got any of hers. I do have a Dieffenbachia, a sansevieria, and a bunny ears Opuntia from her.