I decided to try my hand and making some topiary arrangements using sempervivums and succulents this year. I wanted to make a topiary (or a few) and maybe a large pot arrangement. I don't have any sempervivums (hens and chicks) or succulents and I find our greenhouses around here don't really carry all that much or much of a variety. So I decided I would order them, but first a few definitions. Sempervivum is the genus of about 40 different plants that means "lives forever." Sempervivum's are a perennial succulent that leaves form rosettes. Mature rosettes then produce offshoot plants. Most people know the term "hens and chicks" because of the little baby plants that are produced next to the larger plant. Usually around 3 years old, the plant will flower then die. Sempervivum's like to grow in hot, dry climates and prefer soil that drains (sandy/rocky) and can tolerate frost and low temperatures. These plants are called "hardy" while se...