Dark burgundy Aeonium rosette with a green centre, growing in front of a wooden planter

Five Aeoniums with the darkest leaves

Dark rosettes from our nursery, from near-black to deep purple

Dark Aeoniums are some of the most striking plants we grow. These five are all in our shop now. Their leaves run from near-black to deep purple and rich red, and one has green stripes through it.

1. Aeonium 'Schwarzkopf'

Mature Aeonium 'Schwarzkopf' clump with dark burgundy-black rosettes and red-gold centres, growing outdoors

Aeonium 'Schwarzkopf' is also called Black Rose or Black Beauty. The rosettes are dark, almost black, and the glossy leaves form tight spirals. It needs bright sunlight and free-draining soil. We often use it in our RHS display gardens because it contrasts so well with the succulents around it.

2. Aeonium 'Big Bang'

Mature Aeonium 'Big Bang' rosettes with dark leaves and green-orange centres on tall stems by a wooden fence

Aeonium 'Big Bang' has black-green leaves with irregular stripes. It stays compact and needs very little water, and it likes the same care as Aeonium 'Schwarzkopf'. The stripes are different on every cutting, so your plant will not match the photo exactly.

3. Aeonium 'Blood'

Tall mature Aeonium 'Blood' with dark bronze-red rosettes on branching stems, on a display stand

Aeonium 'Blood' is our own cultivar, a cross between Aeonium 'Maximus' and Aeonium 'Voodoo'. We first showed it in our gold medal-winning exhibit at RHS Hampton Court in July 2019. It has rich, dark colours and grows quickly.

4. Aeonium 'Deep Purple'

Mature Aeonium 'Deep Purple' with a large purple-red rosette and green-yellow centre, growing outdoors

Aeonium 'Deep Purple' is one of the few Aeoniums with a purple rosette, and the summer sun brings the darker colours out. It is a fast-growing hybrid with big curly leaves, a bit like Aeonium 'Pomegranate'. Our tallest has reached 185cm from the pot with a 40cm rosette. It then flowered and added another 40cm, which took it well over 2m.

5. Aeonium 'Pomegranate'

Mature Aeonium 'Pomegranate' display of many lime-green rosettes edged in burgundy, in a grey trough

Aeonium 'Pomegranate' is a 2014 hybrid that we bred, a cross between Aeonium cuneatum and Aeonium 'Voodoo'. It has a large central rosette with smaller ones lower down the stem, and it reaches about 80cm across and 60cm high. In full summer sun the colours turn rich red, like ripe pomegranates. It was our Plant of the Month for April 2025.