Chick Charms® Key Lime Kiss Hens & Chicks

Light Needs

Full Sun

(6+ Hours Direct Sun)

Mature Height

2 Inches

Mature Spread

4 - 6 Inches

Growing Zones

4 to 9

Chick Charms® Key Lime Kiss™ Hens & Chicks forms tight lime-green rosettes tipped in bold red. Sempervivum globiferum ssp. allionii 'Key Lime Kiss' stays very compact at about 2 to 3 inches tall and wide, forming rounded chicks that can roll away from the hen and root nearby. The color is brightest in strong light, with the red tips becoming a sharp accent against the fresh green foliage. We use it in shallow bowls and rock pockets where its small scale and unusual rolling habit can be seen up close.

This Chick Charms® selection is a cold-hardy evergreen succulent with strong drought tolerance once established. Summer flowers may rise above mature rosettes, and the blooming hen will decline afterward while the young chicks continue the planting. Chick Charms® Key Lime Kiss™ Hens & Chicks is deer resistant, easy to propagate, and well suited to gritty spaces with limited soil. Plant it in rock gardens, crevice gardens, retaining walls, dry edging, groundcover pockets, fairy gardens, troughs, and patio containers.

Chick Charms® Key Lime Kiss™ Hens & Chicks Care

Plant Chick Charms® Key Lime Kiss™ Hens & Chicks in full sun to filtered sun; the more sunlight the brighter the colors will be. It grows best in gritty, gravelly, sandy, or lean soil with excellent drainage. Acidic to neutral soil is suitable, but wet winter soil can cause crown and root rot.

Water after planting to settle the roots, and let the soil dry thoroughly before watering again. Established plants need very little water in the ground, but container plantings may need occasional soaking during hot, dry weather. Fertilizer is rarely needed, as extra nitrogen can reduce the tight rosette form and strong color. Gravel mulch helps keep the rosettes lifted above damp soil.

Remove dried lower leaves when they loosen naturally from the rosette. After a mature hen flowers, cut away the spent stalk and fading rosette once the chicks have started filling the space. In wet winter regions, grow Chick Charms® Key Lime Kiss™ Hens & Chicks in raised gravel beds or containers that can be moved out of heavy rain.

Chick Charms® Key Lime Kiss™ Hens & Chicks Spacing

Space Chick Charms® Key Lime Kiss™ Hens & Chicks 6 to 8 inches apart in rock gardens, wall pockets, and low edging. For tighter container displays, plant several rosettes with a little open gravel between them so the rolling chicks can root. Choose a shallow pot at least 6 inches wide with drainage holes, and use a gritty cactus or succulent mix.

In sunny rock gardens, let Chick Charms® Key Lime Kiss™ Hens & Chicks grow near allium and catmint, so the taller flowers can rise above the tiny rosettes in well-drained soil. Culinary sage can add silver-green foliage nearby in dry herb-border plantings. In containers, use calibrachoa in a separate moisture-retentive pocket near the rim, keeping the hens and chicks raised higher in the driest part of the planter. Key Lime Kiss™ is also perfect to grow next to other darker colored hens and chicks for a beautiful color contrast!

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