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With time, even the best succulent container gardens start to look overgrown and bedraggled. Taking a few minutes to spruce up the plants can get your container looking fresh and new again. You'll want to start by removing all of the old growth from the pot. Save anything that you want to re-use. Cut the tips off succulents that grow on long, thick stems like tender sedum and graptosedum. Strip off the bottom leaves, leaving a few inches of bare stem. Echeveria, sempervivum and other

Last weekend I went to a workshop about hybridizing hens and chicks with Kevin Vaughn. Kevin is a geneticist. He has been working with hens and chicks for about 50 years. In the world of Sempervivum it was like discussing governments with John Adams and hearing him tell stories about the other founding fathers. Hybridizers have a very unique way of looking at plants. Most of us see a plant/flower as something fixed. A red flower is a red flower. A white flower is a white flower. Hybridizers

Hens and Chicks. This is the common name used to refer to Sempervivum, Jovibarba, and Echeveria. Sempervivum and Jovibarba are very similar. So similar that it can often be difficult to distinguish between them. Although most of the characteristics and care requirements of Sempervivum and Jovibarba are identical, there are a couple identifying traits. Jovibarba are a separate plant genus from Sempervivum. They come from the alpine regions of southeastern Europe making them extremely cold ha