The Most Expensive Sempervivum

pacificsexy.jpg

That’s good ole’ Hens and Chicks to me and you.

When budgeting for plants I keep a mental list of plants I would not pay more than 3 bucks for. Plants like basil, oregano, thyme, sedums tend to fall into this category. And most especially hens and chicks. In fact I don’t think I’ve paid more than 2 bucks for a puffy container of these reliable and mega-easy succulents.

But with a name like ‘Pacific Sexy’ I couldn’t NOT fork out the $7.99 + applicable taxes for this little number. Because, HELLO, it’s name is ‘Pacific Sexy.’ And it sparkles an iridescent red when the light hits just so. And by “just so” I mean after 10 minutes of tilting and adjusting. Plus it makes a mean cappuccino and feeds the cat when we’re away.

Next time I’ll just name the 2 dollar variety ‘Hot Baby Disco’ and save the 6 bucks.

Gayla Trail
Gayla is a writer, photographer, and former graphic designer with a background in the Fine Arts, cultural criticism, and ecology. She is the author, photographer, and designer of best-selling books on gardening, cooking, and preserving.

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13 thoughts on “The Most Expensive Sempervivum

  1. Lol!
    I totally fell for some funky succulents at the garden center too… but unlike you i bought three at that price! Craziness! I hope they survive!

  2. Ah! The power of a good name…

    I wonder how fun it would be to be one of the people who comes up with the names?

  3. That is a beautiful plant. I’d pay $7.99 for it.
    Sometimes we just have to do it. I just bought a black elephant ear that isn’t hardy in our zone. Need I say more?

  4. And I thought my strawberries and cream sedum was cool. I admit to spending 8 bucks on a huge ass coleus whose name i didn’t even know. It is beauteous, but only an annual! I am a sucker.

  5. I thought about you today, Gayla. One of my bosses did some landscaping at the office over the weekend. He bought 4 hostas and a fern and it totalled $138.00. !?!

  6. Wow! Them’s some expensive hostas.

    Jen: 8 bucks is not at all excessive for a “huge ass” coleus. I have paid as much as $15.

  7. Today as a joke I told my husband that I spent $500 at a plant sale. He freaked out for a minute and then realized that I had tricked him again.

  8. It is hard to resist the fancy variety of H&C. I found a website for a nursery with over 300 varieties. The problem is you cannot order less than 20 dollars worth, and you know how H&C plants are. As they say, put chick in soil, water soil, and stand back. Could I really live with 8 varieties of H&C in the back yard? Would they not take over?

  9. They are pretty hardy and aggressive but they aren’t difficult to get rid of like an invasive plant. So even if they go a little wild they are easy enough to pull out and replace.

    I could live with 8 varieties. I could live with 300 varieties.

  10. If I could cover every inch of my house with H&C that would be heaven for me. But they can’t survive our hot climate… :(

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