Aeonium

Aeonium are without a doubt, some of the most beautiful and sought after additions to succulent collections. They reward our efforts with gorgeous spoon shaped foliage in shades of burgundy and green, sometimes variegated with splashes of palest gold.

Aeonium are native to the Canary Islands and North Africa, so you may be able to guess their preferred conditions – warm, or even hot would be the key word.

The name means ‘evergreen’ so this is a plant that never loses its leaves – until after it blooms that is, when the flowering rosette dies.

Aeonium grow best where minimum temperatures are about 4 degrees Celsius; they can’t take any frost, so a sheltered or indoors environment only for this plant. It requires good ventilation, and bright light – full sun is fine, or partial shade. They prefer a little more moisture in the soil than many other succulent plants. Water as soon as the soil is dry, but don’t allow it to dry too much.

Some Aeonium will form a fairly tall stand of rosettes of green, dark burgundy or variegated foliage each on the top of a slender stalk. The leaves are spoon-shaped, sometimes glossy, and occasionally matte.
They can reach a height of a meter (3’), or less than 15cm (5"), depending on the variety. Other species and varieties are suitable for mixed planters and succulent crafts as they tend to be more compact.

Easy to propagate, just remove a rosette with a piece of stem and allow to callous overnight and the stem end can be planted into a pot.

 Aeonium at the back with Echeveria glauca in the centre and Senecio vitalis (Blue Chalksticks) and an Echeveria in the front

Aeoniums sharing a pot with a cactus and some Crassula
 

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Aeonium

Aeonium are without a doubt, some of the most beautiful and sought after additions to succulent collections. They reward our efforts with gorgeous spoon shaped foliage in shades of burgundy and green, sometimes variegated with splashes of palest gold.

In winter I do not remove the dead bottom leaves as they provide protection against the cold

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Aeonium are native to the Canary Islands and North Africa, so you may be able to guess their preferred conditions - warm, or even hot would be the key word.
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The name means 'evergreen' so this is a plant that never loses its leaves – until after it blooms that is, when the flowering rosette dies. But by then you should have lots of pups to keep this plant going.

Aeonium grow best where minimum temperatures are about 4 degrees Celsius; they can’t take any frost, so a sheltered or indoors environment only for this plant. It requires good ventilation, and bright light – full sun is fine, or partial shade. They prefer a little more moisture in the soil than many other succulent plants. Water as soon as the soil is dry, but don’t allow it to dry too much.

Aeonium in the pot at the back and to the right, in front is Echeveria glauca, which shows the difference between these two species

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Some Aeonium will form a fairly tall stand of rosettes of green, dark burgundy or variegated foliage each on the top of a slender stalk. The leaves are spoon-shaped, sometimes glossy, and occasionally matte.
They can reach a height of a meter (3'), or less than 15cm (5"), depending on the variety. Other species and varieties are suitable for mixed planters and succulent crafts as they tend to be more compact.
Easy to propagate, just remove a rosette with a piece of stem and allow to callous overnight and the stem end can be planted into a pot.

Aeonium - the lovely pink tinges that emerge in winter

Burgundy-tipped Aeonium sharing a pot with an Aloe, some Crassula and a cactus

Aeoniums are members of the Crassulaceae, a huge family of succulents that include many other popular and commonly grown succulents, including some that look a lot like Aeoniums.  Echeverias in particular are often confused with Aeoniums and there are several other rosette-like succulents (eg. Dudleyas, Graptopetalums, Pachyverias and Graptoverias).  One thing that sets t these plants apart is the way their leaves attach to the stem - they are wrapped around the stem with a fibrous attachment so that when a leaf is pulled away, the stem is intact with only a transverse line showing where the leaf was attached.  The other rosette Crassulaceas have succulent attachments and their being pulled off the stem leaves a divot in the stem.

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Winterizing succulents

Every Autumn I get most of my succulents ready to come indoors by gradually decreasing the amount of water they receive and as it gets colder, when temperatures reach about 5℃, I bring them inside. Even though both the Crassula and Aeoniums in this pot can withstand a fair amount of cold, I’d hate to lose them, so rather safe than sorry!

Crassula imperialis (the spidery one on the left) prefer very porous soil, and it is preferable to drench them well and allow the soil to dry somewhat between waterings. They enjoy cool summer conditions, good light, and good air circulation. High heat in the summer, when they are dormant, will often cause lower leaves (those tiny little dots are leaves!) to drop. Crassula need winter warmth and will sit and sulk if kept damp and cold. Crassula is easily propagated by just breaking off a piece and sticking it into the soil and before long you will be rewarded by a lovely, spreading little plant.

Aeonium (tree houseleek – (on the right) is a genus of about 35 species of succulent, subtropical plants of the family Crassulaceae. The name comes from the ancient Greek “aionos” (ageless). While most of them are native to the Canary Islands, some are found in Madeira, Morocco, and in East Africa (for example in the Semien Mountains of Ethiopia).

The rosette leaves are on a basal stem. Low-growing Aeonium species are A. tabuliforme and A. smithii; large species include A. arboreum, A. valverdense and A. holochrysum.
Aeonium are not frost-resistant. They are related to the genera Sempervivum, Aichryson and Monanthes, which is easy to see from their similar flower and inflorescences. Recently, the genus Greenovia has been placed within Aeonium.

 These Aeoniums in a pot spend the summer outside and then also come inside for the winter

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