Sempervivum

Sempervivum, the houseleeks or hen and chicks, are among the toughest and most drought-tolerant succulents available for Martha's Vineyard's rock gardens, stone walls, and exposed coastal containers, thriving in the perfectly drained, lean, sandy conditions that would stress most other perennials. Their architectural rosettes in shades of green, burgundy, and silver provide year-round textural interest in the rock garden designs and stone terrace plantings of properties throughout the island, from the oceanfront gardens of Edgartown to the rocky exposures of Chilmark and Aquinnah. Salt air tolerance is excellent, making them suitable for the most challenging oceanfront garden exposures.

Deer universally avoid them. Estate Care professionals deploy Sempervivum in the most demanding, sun-baked, drainage-challenged planting situations where virtually nothing else will establish reliably, and in ornamental container programs for exposed coastal terraces and rock features.