Have I killed my Aeonium?

amanda.curzon

I totally forgot to put my aeonium under cover before this recent spell of cold weather and when I went in to the garden yesterday, it looks like it has completely died. The stems are all soft and droopy and the leaves are soggy. Is there anything I can do to revive it? 

My parents spent years growing this plant and I have always admired it. They both recently passed away and I was looking forward to having it in my garden in their memory. 

Any advice would be gratefully received 🤞🏻

nutcutlet

It's a tender plant, they can stand outside in summer but can't take frost at all. I wouldn't expect that to revive after the temperatures we've been experiencing

bédé

Dead, dead.

Try cutting the plant back hard into firm wood.  Keep going until the stem look alive.  No guarantees, But it might just work if the root is still OK.  Otherwise rebuy in the spring.

Console yourself by opening the fizz early.

Aeonium arboreum in Sennen Cornwall ( and there are few places as frost-free) were damaged but not killed in the Beast-from-the East.  Aeoniums contain some antifreeze in the sap and can take a few degrees of frost.

Fairygirl

That's a shame @amanda.curzon. It's unlikely to have survived unfortunately. 
If you know what variety it is, you might be able to find a new one. You can try cutting it back, but it might be too late. 

There's another thread running just now about them. Similar problem.
https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/1070017/aeonium-in-this-very-cold-weather#latest

If you're in a cold part of the country, and especially a cold wet part, they need brought in quite early. As I said on that thread, I'd have to bring them indoors [to the house] by October. That's when our frosts normally start, and the wet magnifies that problem. Prolonged cold/wet is the biggest problem, especially if it's followed by a big drop in temp.  

philippasmith2

It looks as if it is/was a Schwartzkop  ( black foliage ?  ).  
It also looks like mine which was fleeced and in the GH ( coastal W Somerset ).  I have'nt yet taken mine out of the pot but the stems are soggy and dead above soil level.  I don't hold out much hope - peeving as it has survived for years. 

thevictorian

The same thing has happened to our neighbours aeonium which was in an unheated greenhouse. They have grown them for decades, so don't feel bad about it.
The plan they have is to chop off all the squishy parts and leave the solid bits to dry a little and then attempt to re root any pieces in free draining soil. It might not work but it's easy to try. The rest they will chop to the ground and then see if it sprouts in spring.

Bilje

I’m in NE England, cold wet, over the years I’ve increased my stock by taking cuttings, a couple of which I bring indoors as insurance. My big plants get tucked in against the house wall medium ones are in a cold greenhouse. The outdoors ones look poorly at this stage, the greenhouse ones almost as bad so it’s a fingers crossed situation. 

I’ve had plants hit hard by frost like yours many times. Try cutting them back into sound stems (if any) they’ll be dormant anyway so bring them indoors or a garage until Spring.  It’s wonderful if you see them start to shoot in spring. 

bédé

Just checked my greenhouse for the first time for ages.  I got my pot Aeoniums arborium into my cold greenhouse in good time, I thought.  In the big pot of mixed succents, one Aeonium is bent but unboughed.  Beneath it are two smaller pots, black but probably not dead.  (They don't have to be schwartzkopf to be black when dead.)

philippasmith2

bédé said:

  (They don't have to be schwartzkopf to be black when dead.)

Which is why I put a question mark after "black foliage" as in "Did your plant have black foliage when alive ? "  
Apologies if that wasn't clear to you and looking at the OP's pic again ( specs on this time ), I think it isn't/wasn't an A schwartz 

philippasmith2

Update - look at your Aeonium @bede -  the shwartzkopf will show green on the underside of the leaves even when dead. 

Braidman

.

Anyone grow aeonium Sunburst or Kiwi and are they as easy to grow and propagate as
 Zwartkop which I find are very easy!

Thanks!