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Aeonium balsamiferum

balsam-yielding giant houseleek

A succulent subshrub, up to 1.2-1.5m high, with thick, pale grey-brown branches, each crowned by a saucer-shaped rosette, 20cm across, of spoon-shaped, sticky, balsam-scented, pale green leaves with pointed tips. Flower panicles, 15-25cm long, of many pale yellow flowers appear on mature plants in late spring

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Ultimate height

1–1.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

5–10 years

Ultimate spread

0.5–1 metres

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Drought resistance

Yes

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

H1C

Botanical details

Family: Crassulaceae
Native to the UK: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Bushy
Genus: Aeonium are evergreen succulents often of shrubby habit, with fleshy leaves in terminal rosettes on the shoots, and racemes or panicles of small, star-shaped flowers with numerous narrow petals
Name status: Correct
Plant range: Lanzarote, Cape Verde Is.

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow under glass in a cool or temperate greenhouse or conservatory or as a houseplant in filtered light, in a standard cactus compost (or John Innes No 2 with an added third of extra grit or fine gravel) and allow it to dry out almost completely between waterings; for more advice see houseplant cacti and succulent cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by seed, sown at 19-24°C in spring (it does not reproduce readily from seed) or take rosette stem-tip softwood cuttings in early summer; wait until calluses have formed, then insert in sandy compost and in moderate light at 18°C, and keep just moist until rooted

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Patio and container plants
Sub-tropical

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

May susceptible to aphids and mealybugs

Diseases

Generally disease-free

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