Hi iheart and Renee. Good to see you both here.
Hardy sempervivum will not reproduce from just a leaf. They increase by sending out offsets (new young rosettes) or by planting the properly harvested seeds when they flower. The see will not produce true to the parent plant. You never know what they will look like, but you can be assured they will be wonderful. : )
Between the both of you you have very different growing conditions weather wise.
Iheart, living in a zone 9 desert conditions, yours will need filtered light, not direct sun. Do you get any cold weather at all? If not you may not do well growing hardy sempervivum. They really do need a winter resting time, or they will eventually wear themselves out.
If the plants are stressed they will stay closed up. Once they are happy they will open. Look to see what might be stressing them. They are drought tolerant but do need water, especially in desert conditons. What are you using for soil?
Can you post some photos so we can see what is going on?
Renee, you should do very well with hardy sempervivum in your area. You get a winter rest time but I am not sure what your summers are like. Do you have high humidity, very hot, what kind of soil do you use?
Again, can you post photos?