The aeoniums are OK

In October, I started a new succulent bed in the backyard that is dominated by aeoniums. These succulents are native to the Canary Island and don’t tolerate much frost. I had covered them with an old sheet during the prolonged cold spell that lasted for the better part of January and was keeping my fingers crossed that they wouldn’t be damaged too badly.

When I finally removed the sheets a few days ago, I was relieved to see that they were just fine. Being up against the house clearly helps.

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Yes, there are some brown spots here and there indicating frost damage but that’s purely cosmetic:

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I left a more mature Aeonium arboreum ‘Zwartkop’ uncovered throughout this cold spell to see how it would fare. To my surprise, it seems to be undamaged:

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I talked to my succulent buddy Candy of Sweetstuff’s Sassy Succulents last night, and her aeoniums show more severe leaf burn although she had them covered, too. But I don’t think she lost any plants.

As beautiful as aeoniums are, they are wimps when it comes to cold weather. Growing them here in the Sacramento Valley (zone 9b) is pushing it. They really are zone 10 plants and hence ideally suited for the Central and Southern California coast. They thrive in places like San Francisco (see my blog post about the gardens of Alcatraz) and San Diego.

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Aeoniums on Alcatraz

Comments

  1. I'm glad that your aeoniums made it through your cold snap! I also love these plants but bring them in for the winter where half of them kick the bucket because they either get no water at all or just a little too much.

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  2. Glad they're pretty much okay! I hope you're planning on letting them mass together like in that Alcatraz photo. Wow!

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  3. Glad to see your Aeoniums doing well :). We need to re stock ours!

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  4. Yay, I'm glad everything looks so good...I've been seeing only spotty reports on how all the marginal plants in California did with your crazy weather, thus fearing the worst. This is great news!

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  5. I got to see them today and am so glad they are doing so well! And that cyclops is so huge!!!! And you must have a little perfect microclimate for the Zwartkop for it to survived as perfect as it did with no cover! Bravo!

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