The Aeonium Kiwi is a stunning succulent that is part of the Crassulaceae (stone crop) family.
While wandering the succulent section of my favorite garden nursery, this plant caught my eye. It was not with other like plants, but was sitting off by itself. I think I was meant to find it. I purchased it and now this Aeonium Kiwi perches on our living room window sill soaking up morning light from the south east facing window.
Its colorful yellow and green rosettes have pretty pink edges that do draw your attention. When the plant matures, it will sometimes produce a yellow flower from the center of its rosettes. The rosettes do not all flower at the same time.
Aeonium Kiwi is monocarpic, meaning that the rosette dies after flowering, but fortunately it is easy to propagate, either by removing the offsets from the mother plant, or from stem cuttings that are allowed to callous before planting in well-draining soil. Spring and Summer is the best time to do this.
When given the right growing conditions, a mature plant grown outdoors in zones 9-12, or in a large enough container, can reach the height of 2-3 feet, and approximately the same width. Its rosettes can be anywhere from 3 to 5 inches across. As you can see from the photograph above, mine is still quite small.
Unlike most succulents, Aeonium Kiwi is dormant in the summer, and has a winter growing season. As we head into autumn, I am looking forward to seeing the changes in this beautiful succulent.
Several years ago I posted two articles on general care of Aeonium plants and a soil mix recipe I like to make. See the list below
- The Aeonium is a Beautiful Succulent That is Easy to Grow
- Aeonium Garnet
- Make your Own Succulent/Cactus Planter Mix
I am growing mine as a houseplant, so have placed it in a bright area. Outdoors, it does well in partial shade, or full sun, except in very hot desert climates. In this situation, place where it will receive no more than a very few hours of direct sunlight, especially in late afternoon. It is a bit of a juggling act, because the lovely color comes from receiving enough sunlight. This is why my first Aeonium Kiwi will be grown indoors in a easily moved container. A well draining cactus/succulent soil is best.
Aeonium Kiwi does need a little more water than many succulents. When watering I use a small spouted container and pour water directly on the soil to avoid wetting the plant, then let it drain well before placing it back on a saucer.
As I write this, the Aeonium sounds a little more complicated than most succulents, but if you keep an eye on your plant you will get a sense of how it is doing. Just looking at the outstanding color, makes it all worth while.