Q: I received a plant from my grandmother called “Hens n Chicks”. Some of the hens seem to be dying and the chicks are still going strong. What should I do?

A: Hens and Chicks, Sempervivum tectorum, is native to mountainous areas in southern Europe. A single plant (the Hen) sends out numerous runners with small plants at the tips (the Chicks). It’s normal for the original mother plant to die after flowering, typically when it’s a few years old. Put the base of each Chick in soil and it will soon have babies itself. Plants do best in full sun, in soil that contains lots of grit or small gravel.