Aeonium arboreum Schwarzkopf / Zwartkop
AEON-SCH
- Description
A nearly black version of A. arboreum if high levels of light are maintained. Low light levels, especially through the winter, cause the foliage to revert to a more green/ purple colour until light levels increase in summer. The higher light levels will change the foliage back to almost black very quickly. Artificial light will help maintain the dark colour during the winter. Highly architectural, this Canary island native (well the species is) can be used in many planting schemes standing out against, lighter coloured foliage or mixed with strong bold flower colours. Try planting along side lower growing grey/ silver succulents and looks spectacular planted in the middle of a pot of deep red flowered geraniums or clashing against golden/ yellow foliage in a summer bed.
It is a drought resistant succulent but faster growth occurs if watered regularly during the warmer months. The planting media must be well drained and any standard compost will be suitable as long as a good mix of horticultural grit, sand, and/ or perlite is added to improve the drainage. Naturally, the species, A. arboreum grows in rocky, free draining mountainside soils and the rosettes can often become too heavy for the stems. This tends to either make the stem bend to the ground or, during strong winds, will cause the head and some of the stem to break away and fall to the rocky substrate below. If conditions are ideal the head and stem will eventually root and create a new plant while the original plant forms multiple new heads along the old broken stem. If you wish to maintain a shorter, bushier plant just remove the main head/ heads and within a few weeks multiple shoots will start to appear all the way up and down the bare stem rapidly creating a dense trunk of rosettes.
Although not fully hardy, our parent stock plants have all experienced relatively low temperatures. The leaves tend to drop at about 0c but the stems have recovered. 0c is as low as we have managed to get them to survive so far. Lower has killed them outright, but who knows, over time they may develop more cold hardiness. Best winter advice is to move under glass just before the first frosts and maintain night temperatures above freezing. Keep the compost on the dryer side and only water slightly if the foliage starts to show signs of wilting. Resume more regular watering from about mid April onward's planting back outside once all frosts have passed. Full sun is a must.
It can eventually reach a height of around 1.5 meters with a similar spread as the stems drop under the weight of the rosettes.
Sent as a young plant in a 5cm pot.
Additional photos by By H. Zell - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47485294 and By Babbage - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32256519.
- Position
- Flowering
- Growth