Thalassa Cruso had an idea in one of her old gardening books; they do this in England. You take something like a large shallow wooden box and nail a wood lattice over the top after filling it with soil covered with wire netting. You plant the semps in this and then hang it against an outside wall.It gives them perfect drainage, sunshine and air circulation and you have a sempervivum wall. I've never tried it but it sounds like an excellent idea.

I have tried the idea that halfhardybklyn suggested. The results look like a "living picture" and I had a picture that lasted for about 5 years before the plants pooped out for one reason or another.

The size plants I use are according to the scale of the frame: I use small sized mature semps for a 6" X 9"frame and medium sized semps for a 9" X 11" frame and large semps for a 13" X 21" frame. I use redwood to make my frames and a combination of 1/4 inch chicken wire, sphagnum moss ( the blankety kind) and a mixture of soil that I am still experimenting with. I then plant the semps with dental tools and spray then with a solution of SuperThrive to help them settle into the frame. Once settled they then take off to achieve their own "look".

My semp hunting days are now spent looking for small to medium sized semps outside my home state of New Mexico because all we have here are the large sized semps which are too big for most of the frames I like to put together.

I have some planted in conch shells, some in the garden (helps the dark foliage stand out) and some on my deck railing with houseplants. I suppose the larger the shell, the more important holes in it would be. Also have some in a little basket on the ground next to the front porch.

Sempervivum swappers & sellers list vol. 2 is out, with some 30 adds from all over the world, also from USA. There are more than 1500 cultivars and species listed. To get an emailed copy or to put a free add in the next list (sent out to aprox. 500 addresses), do send an email to renee@email.si.

I put about 12 varieties of semps in an herb wheel. I am hoping when it fills out it looks awesome. If anything, it will help to keep my varieties from blending.....(hopefully) :)