The following is a list of vegetables you can plant in July in Sydney, a temperate zone, (just click on the link for the growing guide for each vegetable)
Plant of the Month: Aeonium Arboreum –( Tree aeonium)
The lovely Tree Aeonium is one of the few succulents that actively grows and flowers in winter and brings a pop of beautiful brilliant yellow to the winter garden. Its stunning inflorescence drew my attention for its structural beauty and colour and this month I wanted to share with you this most interesting plant.
Aeonium arboreum is a slow-growing succulent native to the Canary Islands and Africa and a member of the Crassulaceae family.
Aeonium arboreum is a branched succulent shrub growing up to 2 m tall with stems that can reach up to 4 cm in diameter, are nearly smooth, with dense terminal rosettes of fleshy, glossy green leaves. The rosettes can reach up to 25 cm in diameter.
Unlike other succulents, the Aeonium arboreum has its growing period in winter and in in spring and as it does not like heat it is dormant in summer
These visually striking succulents grow in a range of shapes, sizes and colours, and grow well in container and rock gardens.
For greater detail, click on any image in this post.
Large conical inflorescences of small, bright yellow, star-shaped flowers appear on stems that can grow up 20 cm long from late winter through early spring and can reach up 25 cm long and 15 cm in diameter. Each flower can grow up to 2 cm in diameter and has 9 to 11 spreading, narrowly oblong to lance-shaped petals, 5 to 7 millimetres long and 1.5 to 2 millimetres wide.
The plant may take up to five years to mature and produce blooms.
After flowering, the rosette bearing the inflorescence dies but this doesn’t happen every year and not all the rosettes will blossom at the same time. This means that your whole plant won’t die.
Cultivation and Care:
Site:
Aeonium arboreum thrives in full sun to partial shade, but with protection from the extreme heat of summer and exposure to the western sun. When grown indoors it needs bright indirect light to stop it from becoming leggy.
Soil:
The tree Aeonium it prefers light, porous soil, so amend your planting site with sand and limestone chips. It should be a well-draining soil with a pH between 5.6 to 6.0 for optimal growth.
For container gardening, plant tree anemones in a moderately moist medium with excellent drainage. A homemade mix of 2 parts sand, 1 part loam and 1 part coir with some small gravel pieces or perlite to enhance drainage. Potting mix for succulents is not suitable for this plant as it requires more moisture than most succulents.
Watering:
The tree Aeonium needs more moisture than other succulents. Water thoroughly then allow to dry out between watering and take care during winter. Too much water can also cause root rot. Stop watering during its summer dormancy.
Propagation:
Aeonium arboreum is easy to propagate by taking cuttings in spring. Before placing them in the soil, allow the cut ends to dry for several days.
One of the popular varieties of Tree Aeonium is the Aeonium Black Rose, pictured below. It has attractive dark coloured leaves and provides good contrast with inflourescences.
The Grantham Gardener 