I've spent the last month reading over this forum. This has been a fun surprise to find this little corner of the internet full of active posts from actual experts with decades of experience. Feels a little bit like eavesdropping, but I've learned so much.

So, I bought my first sempervivums this summer from MCG and promptly killed 5 of them. Well, maybe I should back up and explain, I'm in San Antonio, zone 9a, with regular 100+ degree days in July/August and the nights barely dip below 80. I bought this order in July. I didn't know! I gave them only about 4 hours of morning sun but they still melted into a puddle of goo. They were under a 40% shade cloth too! Eventually I put a fan on them once it hit 95.

Anyway, I feel like I have a better handle on it now, and the weather is finally cooling off, but going forward I still would like to know... are there any semps that y'all have found can handle the heat better, or even thrive? In theory, it seems to me that the heuffelii might do better with those fat leaves, but does anyone have experience for or against that? Also any tips for care in the deep summer? I would love to read any experiences from people with similar heat. As much detail as you have time for!

Secondly I've read a couple of people saying they got packages from @valleylynn . Then I ran across this one particular semp called Lynn's Rose Gold, and I love it. I neeeeed it. But I can't find how to order or request. I know I can just message her and I will, but I figured if I'm wondering then other readers will too, so I thought I'd ask about it here.

Finally, here are some of my babies that survived the summer...
They are all a bland green right now, but at the moment I'm just relieved to have not killed them. The big batch is a 1/2 lb of random offsets from MCG. Here's the named varieties I got.
Semp. 'Hester' DEAD
Semp. 'Mona Lisa' DEAD
Semp. 'Stuffed Olive'
Semp. 'Wunderhold'
Semp. Chick Charms 'Cinnamon Starburst'
Semp. globiferum ssp hirtum 'Histoni' DEAD
Semp. heuffelii 'Minutum' (exclusive)
Semp. tectorum 'Mettenianum' DEAD







Amanda

Amanda, Welcome! You have quite good collection there.
There are no semps out there that is fully adapt to Texas Summer, however your best chances to grow sempervivums will be Tectorum and Heufelli series with some protection during summer from early June until October. You mentioned 40% shade cloth, try to use at least 70%. When temperatures above 85°. I believe Kevin is working on new sempervivums with Tectorum parentage. I will try those here North Texas once they are available.
I have been growing semps. since summer of 2017. I did not even know what Sempervivum was before then. I am growing them for winter interest. They look wonderful from early March till June. Night temperatures are very important, they grow healthier in 50°and 60°F. They are very heat tolerant with a couple exception they have to be under filtered sun after 11AM and need to be watered lightly twice a week early morning or late night.Other thing is that they have little tolerance to harmful soil pathogens so make sure soil you use well drained and use organic fungicide but fungus find the way in shady spots in humid southern regions, infecting plants during summer especially after rain. No protection need during late fall, winter and spring. Keep it up and good luck.
Ridvan

Thank you so much for that info! I'm afraid I might be wasting my effort on an impossibility, but they are just so beautiful. I figure there have got to be some people who have mastered growing them down here.
Amanda

Hi Amanda. Sorry it took me so long to respond to this thread, I just got back from a trip to Wiley, TX.
Seems like this would be a good time to get semps settled in for your part of the country. They should do well, like Rido said, in fall, winter and spring.
I agree with Rido about the hot time of the year. Containers need to be moved into more protected areas that will keep the rain off of them in the hot season, only small amount of water during summer. I like the shade cloth as it is easy to remove when not needed, but it won't keep rain from getting the containers wet during the hot season. I would think you wouldn't need the shade cloth in the other seasons, they should enjoy full sun during the cooler seasons. That would also help them color up more.
Please keep us updated on your progress. Love you photos.
Oh, you can get 'Lynn's Rose Gold' from Perennial Obsessions. They may not be available right now. This is a newer cultivar so we are not sure how it would handle the Texas heat in summer.

Thank you, Lynn. Once it cooled down a little I magically stopped killing them, so that's a nice change. I was considering (besides summer shade) just bringing them inside at temps above 100. I also put a fan on them last summer on the worst days and that seemed to help though it makes me feel like a crazy plant lady.

I've bookmarked the perennial obsessions site for the spring. I'll let you know if it survives!

Rido, I am actually reading Kevin's book right now--where do you buy his succs?

You can get Kevin's semps at:
Perennial Obsessions https://perennialobsessions.co...
Mountain Crest Gardens https://mountaincrestgardens.c...
Youngs Garden Center http://youngsgardenshop.com/

Everytime I read the title of this thread, I have to chuckle to myself.

The first time I read the title and saw "Semps in Heat", I said to myself, semps come into heat? Like a dog or a cat? I had never noticed that myself. Then I realized they were referring to the weather!

But it still makes me laugh!

That is funny Melissa.

Amanda, how are your semps doing?