Chick Charms® Cherry Berry Hens & Chicks

Chick Charms Cherry Berry Hens & Chicks dazzles with tight rosettes that shift from lime green to deep cherry red as sunlight intensifies. Each “hen” reaches about 3 inches tall and 8 inches across, quickly ringed by dozens of petite “chicks” that spill over rocks, troughs, or shallow bowls. The succulent leaves keep their color through winter, then send up pink bloom stalks in midsummer that lure bees and other pollinators. Bred from hardy mountain species and marketed under the award‑winning Chick Charms® line, this Sempervivum ‘Cherry Berry’ delivers four‑season texture with almost no upkeep. Gardeners in cold or arid regions prize it for its frost tolerance down to ‑20 °F and its drought tolerance once rooted.

Native to alpine slopes of Europe and western Asia, Sempervivum gained the nickname hens‑and‑chicks because the mother rosette constantly produces offsets that blanket soil pockets and crevices. Cherry Berry keeps that clumping habit yet adds faster offset production and bolder color than classic heirloom varieties. The evergreen rosettes resist deer and rabbits and thrive in heat and poor, sandy soils. Use them to edge gravel paths, carpet green roofs, dot fairy gardens, or fill strawberry jars where other plants struggle. In containers, their kaleidoscopic foliage pairs beautifully with sedums, agaves, and miniature conifers.

Chick Charms Cherry Berry Care

Plant in a gritty cactus mix or a garden bed amended with coarse sand or fine gravel; pH can range from 6.0 to 7.5. Terracotta bowls, hypertufa troughs, and rock crevices all work as long as drainage is excellent. Provide full sun for at least six hours daily for the richest red tones—unobstructed morning and midday sun promote compact rosettes. In hot, humid zones 8‑9, light afternoon shade prevents leaf scorch.  Repot every three years in early spring, dividing off excess chicks to expand your collection.

Water deeply, then allow soil to dry completely. During active growth (spring through early fall) this often means every 10‑14 days in containers and rarely, if ever, in the ground. In winter, water only enough to keep leaves from shriveling and apply a thin layer of mulch to protect the root zone from freeze=thaw cycles. Relative humidity below 60 percent is perfect; avoid misting. Skip fertilizer—rich soil or high nitrogen weakens leaf color and form. If growth slows in very lean soil, scratch a pinch of low‑nitrogen, slow‑release cactus food around the clump in early spring only. Over‑feeding causes floppy, pale foliage.

Chick Charms Cherry Berry Spacing

Space rosettes 6‑8 inches apart for a quick‑forming carpet or 10‑12 inches apart when mixing with other drought‑lovers in a border. For tabletop planters, a 6‑inch bowl easily fits one hen plus several chicks; choose a 10‑inch wide dish to showcase a full cluster and allow room for future offsets.

Chick Charms Cherry Berry Information