Updated January 1st 2026
Bringing a touch of the Canary Islands to the Cotswolds.
I’ve been a home grower of Aeoniums for a few years now and have a varied collection, some are compact slow growing plants and others make large specimens in just a few years, all require space to overwinter in a frost-free place, greenhouse or conservatory, but the effort is always worth it.
Most of my plants live outside from May through to October depending on the risk of early or late frosts or predicted poor weather. In Spring we often get a few late Wintery hail showers and these are bad news for soft Aeonium leaves so I always keep some horticultural fleece close at hand.
I now only use peat-free potting mediums with added pumice, rain water if available, eco friendly feeds and long lasting high quality plastic pots. In an ideal world I would use all terracotta pots but the weight on my greenhouse staging in the Winter months would be too much.
Aeoniums do flower occasionally and can look stunning but it’s not all good news as most of these plants are what’s called “monocarpic” meaning that when a leaf rosette flowers and sets seed it will die so it’s always a good idea to keep more than one of your favourite plants. Below is a x Semponium in flower which is a relatively new cultivar, a cross between a Sempervivum and an Aeonium. I have saved the seed and will attempt to germinate some.
The darker leaved plants, often most seen if you’re on holiday in UK places like Cornwall will lose some of their red/black colour in Winter when away from the brighter coastal areas but usually return to full strength again when the Spring higher UV sunshine and longer days return like the Aeonium arboreum ‘Velour’ and x Semponium ‘Destiny’ in the photos below. Some variegated cultivars don’t mind the lack of light in Winter, cheering up an otherwise fairly dull greenhouse staging like Aeonium ‘Peacock’ and Aeonium ‘Sunburst’ also pictured below, but these don’t always do well in the full heat of Summer so a 50/50 sun and dappled shade position often suits them best.
Scroll down for details about local plant shows in 2026
I’m a home grower and not a nursery, but my success with growing and propagating Aeoniums means that I often have spare plants available to help you expand your own collection and help fund my own. You are welcome to visit my collection by appointment.
My collection is relatively young and contains mostly species plants, an increasing amount of interspecific hybrids that would naturally occur in the wild and a selection of cultivars in particular those created by John ‘Jack’ Catlin in the USA. I do have a selection of Asian hybrids like ‘Pink Witch’ but I’m gradually letting many of these go to new homes.
Current Taxa 135
Species and Interspecific Hybrids 55
Cultivars 74
Spare plants available right now include these, click here. You can arrange a private visit info@cotswoldaeoniums.me or pop along to one of the local shows below where, along with other plant growers, I’ll have a selection of Aeoniums for you to buy.
Cheltenham Gardening Society Spring Show on Sunday April 12th 2026
Cheltenham Gardening Society Summer Show on Sunday August 9th 2026
Interact with other Aeonium growers.
Depending on how keen your interest in Aeoniums gets you can join one of the many Facebook user groups where you can share photos, swap and share spare plants and get some great advice from other enthusiasts. Facebook Link
Specialist Aeonium retailers I can recommend are:
Coastal Succulents (click here for link) Somerset.
Surreal Succulents (click here for link) Cornwall.
Picton Gardens (click here to link) Malvern.
Ottershaw Cacti (click here to link) Surrey
Aeonium Publication.
If you develop a very keen interest then you’ll want to own this book. The genus Aeonium. It’s not cheap but is an authoritative guide to these plants. (Click here for authors link)
Coming Spring 2026 is a publication from Mellie Lewis who holds a national collection of Aeonium in Shropshire. I can’t wait to get my copy.
Enjoy your growing.
Steve
Cotswold Aeoniums 
Leave a comment