Time for semp planter renovations in advance of planning for my new "Sempervivumry" (dedicated semp garden landscape area). The first one was easy, just a face lift, de-mossing, fresh mulch, couple minor semp relocations/adjustments.
Semp bowl planter No.1, moss was swallowing up heuff. 'Torrid Zone' and rosette size was shrinking. Flowering rosettes of 'Torrid Zone' left gaps. Note: semps in this planter (ciliosum, 'Nouveau Pastel', and 'Torrid Zone') are just starting to wake up from our seemingly endless winter-in-spring.
Before and after photos:
Semp bowl planter #2 was a renovation, I started in the afternoon and ran out of daylight, waited through two days of rain, finished today although it was dang cold out there.
LEFT: the "before" view, once again moss is swallowing up semps and in particular heuff 'Gold Bug'. Rock work had settled and shrunk down in the bowl, rocks getting mossy, no stone mulch left, one cobby died a few years back (Yukon Snow) and Pacific Devils Food badly damaged by voles so potted them up for TLC in pots.
RIGHT: reconstruction in progress; alter rock work, remove lots of soil (I had used a surprisingly heavy soil, what was I thinking?), large patch of 'More Honey' mostly left in place, all other plants removed and cleaned up, fresh very lean soil to be used, runaway 'More Honey' rosettes move back into main patch area.
Ran out of daylight, I lifted the block of moss-engulfed 'Gold Bug', decided it could wait for another day, sat their in the rain for next two days.
Cleaning and dividing 'Gold Bug':
LEFT: cleaned and de-mossed the rosettes. Have approximately 20. Last year (2017) about 6-7 rosettes flowered, from what I'm seeing for each rosette that flowers and dies, it leaves behind two offsets.
RIGHT: pairs of small rosettes left behind after flowering rosettes die, can be divided.
LEFT: a couple rosettes were in early process of dividing into 3, decided it is too early to divide, these were potted up for dividing in the future.
RIGHT: side view of same rosette, showing it would be risky to divide.
LEFT: had a handful of damaged rosettes (voles in winter) that are resurrecting themselves.
RIGHT: had three pairs of small rosettes left behind after flowering, divided up 2 of 3 where each division had a major tap root, did not divide the one with only 1 tap root for the pair. I consulted Kevin's book about dividing heuffs, I did use rooting powder.
Renovation Results:
LEFT: moved planter to a new (temporary) spot in full sun, was in part shade before. Planter was half sunken into an earth berm, it will be sitting up on a base of some sort, to showcase the hanging rosettes of 'More Honey', love that feature. Really liking the "pea pebble" stone mulch.
RIGHT: similar view but at a higher angle.
LEFT: added Semp. 'Silver Moon' (one of my recent arrivals)
RIGHT: another view further back, 'Gold Bug' above & a peek of dark red 'Brock' on left
LEFT: Overhead view of completed planter, 'More Honey' on left, pittonii bottom center, 'Brock' bottom right, 'Silver Moon; upper right, 'Gold Bug' top center.
RIGHT: closer view of 'More Honey' and its cascading habit
LEFT: an oblique view of completed planter
RIGHT: an oblique view featuring 'Gold Bug'