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Aeonium 'Jolly Towers' - This attractive succulent grows to about 1 foot tall, branching from the base with upright stems covered in densely overlapping rounded bright green 2-inch-long leaves that terminate in a dense tight rosette that have new emerging triangular shaped leaves. We have not seen this plant bloom but typically the one known parent species has a solitary rosette and blooms only once when mature with yellow flowers in the spring and then the plant declines. Since this hybrid branches, it is not clear yet whether all rosettes with flower gregariously and then the plant perish or whether some rosettes will bloom while others do not and the plant will continue to live.
Plant in part sun to full along the coast in a well-drained soil and irrigate occasionally. It has proven hardy to 30° F and likely can take it a bit lower for short durations. This unique and very attractive plant should prove to do well in the succulent garden or planted in a rock wall, or in a container.
Aeonium 'Jolly Towers' is a sister seedling of Aeonium 'Jolly Clusters', a garden hybrid introduced by San Marcos Growers in 2014 that was discovered growing beneath plants of Aeonium tabuliforme growing on a rock wall in the Goleta California garden of plantsman John Bleck. Unlike 'Jolly Clusters', this selection has thicker and darker green leaves that grow up on a stem instead of having rosettes of leaves that lay nearly flat. Like 'Jolly Clusters' the other parent is not known but from the proximity and characteristics of the plant it is certain that the seed parent was Aeonium tabuliforme, a plant native to the Canary Islands that grows as a solitary flat large round rosette that hugs the ground and is aptly commonly called the Dinner Plate Aeonium. The name "Jolly" used on a series of plants originated with John Bleck's naming of Aeonium 'Jolly Green', a plant he discovered growing in his garden that we firstr introduced in 1998. Since that time we have named several additional plants from his garden using this moniker. We first introduced Aeonium 'Jolly Towers' in 2015.
This information about Aeonium 'Jolly Towers' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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