Chick Charms® Chocolate Kiss Hens & Chicks

Light Needs

Full Sun

(6+ Hours Direct Sun)

Mature Height

2 - 3 Inches

Mature Spread

6 - 12 Inches

Growing Zones

3 to 8

Chick Charms® Chocolate Kiss Hens & Chicks forms broad rosettes in deep chocolate brown and burgundy. In the spring, the plant produces bright pink stolons as new growth, which is a beautiful color contrast next to the dark brown colors. This Sempervivum reaches only 3 inches tall, while mature rosettes and offsets can spread close to 12 inches across.

Seasonal shifts deepen or lighten the foliage, so the planting develops a slightly different character through the year. We enjoy its color beside pale stone, where every new offset is easy to see. We also enjoy growing these with bright green hens and chicks for a great contrast in color that lasts all year.

This cold-hardy succulent expands by producing young rosettes around the original plant, gradually forming a low colony across gravel, crevices, and shallow pockets of soil. Mature rosettes may send up 12-inch flower stalks topped with pink, star-shaped blooms before completing their life cycle. The surrounding chicks continue growing and fill the opening left behind, a natural replacement process characteristic of hens and chicks. Use it along dry path edges, between rocks, in trough gardens, or across sunny slopes where water drains rapidly.

Chick Charms® Chocolate Kiss Hens & Chicks Care

Plant in full sun for the darkest burgundy-brown coloring, though partial shade is suitable in very hot climates. Choose sandy, gravelly, or rocky soil with exceptionally fast drainage. It tolerates a broad soil pH range, with slightly acidic to neutral conditions working well in most gardens.

Water newly planted rosettes when the soil has dried through the upper inch, then allow excess moisture to drain completely. Established plants usually need supplemental water only during extended dry weather, and wrinkling or slight leaf thinning signals that moisture is running low. Garden-grown plants rarely need fertilizer, but container specimens can be given one diluted, low-nitrogen feeding in spring when growth appears weak. The rosettes remain evergreen in many climates, often tightening and changing color during cold weather.

Remove spent flower stalks after blooming and clear away dry leaves that collect beneath the rosettes. Offsets can be separated once they have formed small roots, then replanted into gritty soil. In winter, protect containers from prolonged saturation by using frost-resistant pots with open drainage and placing them where rain cannot pool around the crowns.

Chick Charms® Chocolate Kiss Hens & Chicks Spacing

Space plants about 8 to 10 inches apart for a colony that can expand while preserving each rosette’s shape. A container 8 to 10 inches wide is suitable for one young plant, while a broader shallow bowl provides room for multiple generations of chicks. Use a cactus or succulent mix amended with coarse grit, and check pots more often during summer because shallow containers dry quickly.

Chick Charms® Chocolate Kiss Hens & Chicks Companion Plants

Pair this hens and chicks with sea thrift, sedum, and ice plants in sunny gravel beds or mixed succulent containers. All three prefer lean soil, restrained watering, and sharp drainage. Plus, their different leaf shapes and flower forms provide interesting contrast.

Chick Charms® Chocolate Kiss Hens & Chicks

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