Dark Purple Aeonium 'Velours'

Aeonium arboreum 'Velours'

Name: Aeonium arboreum 'Velours'
Brand: GROW TROPICALS
SKU: AEONVELO105
Price: 12.99 GBP
Availability: OutOfStock

£7.99

Protect from hard frostSun-lovingLoved by pollinators

Pot size

FREE tracked delivery on orders over £60

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Description

The Aeonium arboreum 'Velours' is one of the most striking dark-leaved aeoniums in cultivation, prized for its velvety, near-black purple rosettes that hold their depth of colour through full sun. Each rosette is a sculptural mandala of fleshy, slightly arching leaves that catch the light like dark plush. It is one of the most architectural patio succulents you can grow in a British garden.

This is a half-hardy succulent at heart, native to the warm Canary Islands and a fixture of Mediterranean and exotic patio plantings. In the UK it is happiest stood outside in full sun for summer and early autumn, then brought into a frost-free conservatory, greenhouse or bright porch before the first frosts. It is a brilliant companion to other architectural succulents and palms in a Hardy Exotic container scheme.

'Velours' is at its best in a contemporary patio container, where the rosettes can be admired up close and the pot can be moved under cover for winter. It pairs beautifully with grasses and silver-leaved succulents in a Hardy Exotic patio scheme, or in a sheltered, sun-drenched corner of an exotic mixed border for the summer. See our what to expect from outdoor plants guide for seasonal notes.

For a sunny patio it works well alongside other drought-tolerant Mediterranean specimens that share the same light, free-draining needs.

Every Aeonium 'Velours' we send is a strong, well-rooted young plant in a 12cm pot, hand-selected for a healthy rosette, and packed with care to arrive in superb condition.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

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What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

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How to care for Dark Purple Aeonium 'Velours'

Plant me in full sun and protect me when hard frost threatens.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.

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About Dark Purple Aeonium 'Velours'

Aeonium arboreum 'Velours' needs full sun and well-drained soil. It is half-hardy to around −5°C and needs protection from hard frost.

Good for

Architectural Dry & Gravel Gardens Pots & Containers

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

RHS H3 · Semi-hardy · down to around −5°C

RHS H3, half-hardy; protect from frost over winter.

Position

Full sunSouth-facingWest-facingSheltered

full sun in a sheltered south or west-facing spot to bring out the deepest purple-black colour.

Soil

SandWell-drainedAcid pHAlkaline pHNeutral pH

free-draining cactus or succulent compost, with extra grit added.

Watering

Water moderately through spring and summer, allowing the compost to dry between waterings. Through winter under cover, water very sparingly, just enough to stop the leaves shrivelling. Feed once or twice through the growing season with a balanced cactus food. Read moreShow less

Water moderately through spring and summer, allowing the compost to dry between waterings. Through winter under cover, water very sparingly, just enough to stop the leaves shrivelling. Feed once or twice through the growing season with a balanced cactus food.

Mature size

Height60-90 cm

Spread30-50 cm

Reaches full size in 5-10 years

Growth habit

Bushy

Flowering

JFMAMJJASOND

Mar-May

Seasonal colour

SpringSummerAutumnWinterFlowerFoliageBerriesStem

Foliage

Evergreen

Pruning

No real pruning. Pull off shrivelled lower leaves and remove any rosette that has flowered, as that rosette dies afterwards. To bush up a leggy plant, behead a stem in spring and re-root the top.

Toxicity

Mildly toxic to pets if eaten in large quantities. Generally low risk; sap may irritate sensitive skin.

Native range

Canary Islands (parent species)

Family

Crassulaceae

Also known as

Aeonium arboreum 'Velours'

Genus

Aeonium →

Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you care for Aeonium 'Velours'?

Pot in free-draining cactus or succulent compost with extra grit, stand in full sun, and water moderately through spring and summer letting the compost dry between waterings. Bring under cover before first frost. See our Hardy Exotics seasonal guide for what to expect through the year.

Is Aeonium 'Velours' hardy in the UK?

'Velours' is half-hardy, rated RHS H3. It tolerates temperatures down to around 1 to 5C briefly. In all but the very mildest UK coastal gardens it is best treated as a patio plant: stood outside for the summer, then brought into a frost-free greenhouse, conservatory or bright porch from autumn through to spring.

Can you grow Aeonium 'Velours' in pots?

Yes, this is the ideal way to grow it in the UK. Use a free-draining patio container with cactus or succulent compost mixed with grit. The pot can be moved indoors easily for winter protection and back outside in spring. Repot every two to three years when the rosette outgrows its container.

Why is the foliage so dark?

'Velours' is selected for unusually intense purple-black pigmentation across its velvety, slightly fuzzy leaves. The colour deepens with strong sunlight; plants grown in shade fade towards bronze-green. A south or west-facing position brings out the most dramatic, near-black tones.

When does Aeonium 'Velours' flower?

Mature plants produce striking conical sprays of small yellow flowers from late winter into spring, typically around March to May. The flowering rosette dies back after flowering, but lateral rosettes carry the plant on. Removing spent flower heads keeps things tidy.

What pairs well with Aeonium 'Velours'?

'Velours' looks brilliant in a Mediterranean container scheme alongside silver-leaved succulents, agaves, ornamental grasses and other architectural patio plants. See our wider exotic border and drought-tolerant collections for planting partners.

Does my plant come with a pot?

Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.

How big will my plant be when it arrives?

Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.

What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?

There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.

What should I do when my plant arrives?

First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.

Will my plant survive being shipped?

Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.

Why Grow Tropicals

Plants delivered the way they deserve

Packaged with Care

Every order is hand-packed in eco-friendly, protective packaging - refined through thousands of deliveries to ensure your plant arrives healthy, hydrated, and looking its best.

Backed by our Live Arrival Guarantee.

Perfect for Gifting

From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

Delivered fresh, beautiful, and gift-ready.

Sustainability at Heart

All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

Good for your home - and the planet.

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Aeonium arboreum 'Velours'

£7.99