Tree aeonium

Tree aeonium: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Branching shrub up to 80 cm tall and 60 cm wide, with thick, bare stems marked by old leaf scars.

Leaves

Spoon-shaped, fleshy and glossy, 5–8 cm, in flat rosettes 10–20 cm across at the branch tips. Green or, in ‘Zwartkop’, dark purple.

Flower

Rarely flowers indoors. Older plants sometimes produce a pyramid-shaped cluster of small yellow flowers; the rosette that flowers then dies.

Summer rest

In warm, dry summer weather the rosettes close up and older leaves drop. That is normal.

Roots

Fine and shallow; aerial roots sometimes form on the stems.

Plants: September–October · Pruning: September

Why grow it?

• Elegant rosettes on little stems, like a miniature tree.
• ‘Zwartkop’ adds a unique, almost black accent among green plants.
• Low maintenance: it tolerates drought and needs little water.
• Lovely on a sunny windowsill and, in summer, in a pot on the patio.
• Very easy to propagate: a cut rosette roots readily.
• Decorative all year round, even in winter, when it is growing.

Tree aeonium: where does it grow best?

• A sunny to very bright spot: a south- or west-facing window indoors, a sunny patio in summer. With too little light the stems become long and floppy.
• Cactus or succulent compost mixed with some coarse grit or perlite for good drainage.
• Dry to slightly moist: water when the compost is almost dry, less in summer.
• From May to October it can go outdoors, sheltered from heavy rain; bring it in before the temperature drops below 3 °C.
• In winter a bright, cool room at 10–15 °C is ideal.

Light

Sunny

Potting soil

Cactus compost

Acidity

Neutral

Watering

Sparingly

Size

0.8 m tall, 0.6 m wide

Temperature

Minimum 3 °C

Goes well with

• Echeveria: Low, blue-grey rosettes in the same bowl or on the same windowsill.
• Aloe: The same need for sun and little water.
• Agave: Stiff, pointed rosettes as a contrast with the round aeonium rosettes.
• Jade plant: Another shrubby succulent with the same care.

Tree aeonium: when and how to plant it?

Plant in September–October.

1. Repot in September–October, at the start of the growing season, every two to three years.
2. Choose a pot with a drainage hole, only slightly larger than the root ball; terracotta is ideal.
3. Fill with cactus compost mixed with a third of coarse grit or perlite.
4. Set the plant at the same depth as before and firm the compost lightly.
5. Wait a few days before watering for the first time.
6. Put heavy, branching plants in a sturdy, wide pot so they do not topple over.

Care

Watering

From September to May, water when the compost is almost dry. During the summer rest much less: just enough to stop the rosettes shrivelling.

Feeding

In the growing season, in autumn and spring, a low dose of liquid succulent feed once a month.

Light

Turn the pot now and then so the rosettes do not all grow towards the window.

Moving outdoors

In May, let it get used to outdoor sun gradually, or the leaves will scorch.

Repotting

Every two to three years in September–October, in fresh, open compost.

Tip: Give little water in summer: that is when it rests and the rosettes close up. Put it outdoors in a sunny spot from May to October, but bring it in before any frost.

Tree aeonium: when to prune it?

Pruning months: September.

When: In September, as growth starts. Pruning is not essential but keeps the plant compact and provides cuttings.

How:

• Cut long, bare stems back to a few centimetres above a leaf scar; new rosettes will sprout there.
• Use the cut rosettes with a piece of stem as cuttings.
• Cut off a rosette that has flowered; it dies after flowering anyway.
• Remove dry, old leaves from beneath the rosettes.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Cuttings

In September or spring, cut off a rosette with 5–10 cm of stem. Let the cut dry for a few days, insert the cutting in dry cactus compost and water only after a week. It roots within a few weeks.

Seed

Possible but rarely used: seed only comes from flowering plants, and seedlings of varieties do not always resemble the parent.

Tree aeonium: how does it get through the winter?

• Keep it indoors in a bright spot: minimum 3 °C, ideally 10–15 °C.
• It grows in winter: water when the compost is almost dry and give it as much light as possible.
• In a warm, dark room the stems stretch; a cooler, bright spot keeps it compact.
• Do not leave it outdoors when frost threatens: even a light frost damages the rosettes.

Diseases and pests

• Long, floppy stems: Too little light. Move it somewhere brighter and cut the stems back in September.
• Rot: A black, soft stem base or rosettes caused by too much water or cold, wet compost. Cut off healthy rosettes and root them again.
• Mealybugs: White, woolly tufts between the leaves. Remove them with a cotton bud dipped in methylated spirits.
• Closed rosettes: In summer the rosettes close and drop leaves: that is the normal summer rest. Water less and wait for autumn.
• Scorched leaves: Brown patches after a sudden move into full sun. Acclimatise it gradually in spring.

Through the year

• January: Growing season. Keep cool and bright, water when the compost is almost dry.
• March: Growing. Feed at a low dose.
• May: Gradually move outdoors to a sunny spot.
• June: Start of the summer rest: water less.
• July: Summer rest. The rosettes close; very little water.
• August: Summer rest. Protect from heavy rain.
• September: Prune, take cuttings and repot. Give more water again.
• October: Bring indoors before it turns cold. Repot. Feed.
• November: Growing season. Give as much light as possible.
• December: Growing season. Cool and bright, moderate watering.

Did you know?

• Each rosette flowers only once and then dies; the other rosettes on the plant simply carry on growing.
• ‘Zwartkop’ only turns almost black in full sun; in shade it becomes greener.
• The name Aeonium comes from the Greek aionios, ‘everlasting’, after these tough, long-lived plants.