Sempervivum tectorum, the traditional Houseleek, is a hardy alpine succulent that forms tight, geometric rosettes in shades of green, red, or purple depending on season and sun exposure. It’s one of the most resilient temperate succulents, thriving outdoors year‑round and historically grown on rooftops for both superstition and practicality. Each rosette is compact and low‑growing, but over time it produces numerous offsets that cluster around the parent plant, gradually forming a dense, attractive colony.
 
Its growth is slow but steady, and the plant’s architecture is naturally tidy—perfect for rock gardens, troughs, and exposed, well‑drained sites. Mature rosettes eventually send up a tall flowering stem with starry pink blooms; after flowering, that rosette dies, but the surrounding offsets quickly fill the gap. With full sun, minimal watering, and gritty soil, Sempervivum tectorum becomes a long‑lived, sculptural feature that asks for almost nothing and rewards with year‑round texture and colour.
 
Plants may differ slightly from the stock image