Sempervivum spp.

To me, nothing in the garden is quite as quaint and old fashioned as a clump of Hens and Chicks.  Maybe it's because I get all sentimental (or just plain old mental) when I look at them.  You see my Nanny had them at her house and I can still remember exactly where they were and I can still see them in my head just like it was yesterday.  Nanny was my Dad's mother, and she had a large rectangular shaped flower garden where all sorts of interesting things grew, the strangest of all being a Jack-in-the-Pulpit.

Hens and Chicks in my front garden that are showing a tinge of red after a couple of heavy frosts.

This Plain Jane variety is the one I remember best.

Another childhood memory that comes to mind when I look at these plants, is of driving out to the country to my grandparents farm with my mom and a couple of her sisters.

They were on their own memory journeys.  They all recalled Grandma had Hens and Chicks growing on a rock near the farmhouse and they were determined to go back and see if they were still there.

I don't know whether they found what they were looking for or not, but the name Sempervivum means 'live forever' so maybe they are still there...somewhere.