dark fridays - aeonium arboreum 'zwartkop'

It's friday, friends... and you know what that means.  I am sharing another dark and delightful beauty with you today.

This one is a real showstopper... Aeonium arboreum 'Zwartkop' or commonly known as Large Purple Aeonium.  There are a few great dark aeonium species which I'll touch upon in later posts, but the Zwartkop is the deepest darkest.  Actually, the Dutch name "Zwartkop",  literally means "black head" - pretty fitting right?

Because of their tall gray-brown stalks, I like to underplant and interplant the Zwartkop with grasses and bushes in contrasting color and texture so that the large and luscious dark rosettes are the most visible.  The Zwartkop will meander its way beautifully through a wild garden such as the one we designed below (filled with sages and agaves).

Or it can be used in a linear planter to create height and contrast against a simple stucco wall...



The best aspects of all of the aeonium family are their low-maintenance and drought tolerance.  Water these babies infrequently but deeply and be sure to plant in a well drained area (if in a pot use a cactus mix and make sure there is a hole in the pot for drainage). 

Specs:

  

Latin Name: Aeonium arboreum 'Zwartkop' 

Common Name: "Large Purple Aeonium"

Category:  Succulent

Zones:  15-17, 20-24 for info on climate zones go here 
Exposure: Cool sun/Light shade

Water: low water needs (drought-tolerant)

Size: 3-4' tall, 1-2' wide

Flower: Yellow summer bloom

Growth: forms clumps of gray-brown stems that often branch near the base but not above ending in terminal rosettes

Specs from Sunset Western Garden Book