Aeonium Mardi Gras

Aeonium Mardi Gras has to be one of the most showy Aeoniums out there. It is named after the colourful ‘Mardi Gras’ festival for its multi-coloured leaves. This beautiful succulent is winter active and will be at its peak display in late August/September before it goes into summer dormancy. Dormancy should end mid March in Australia which means you can start taking your cuttings and hardening them off for planting towards the end of the month. Taking cuttings early in the growth season will give your Aeoniums more time to reach their full potential for the season. You can propagate Mardi Gras via stem cuttings. If you are super lucky, you might be able to propagate via leaf but this is not the recommended approach as the strike-rate isn’t that high. 

Mardi Gras is a hybrid species, a cross between Aeonium ‘Velour’ and unnamed species.

Aeoniums require little watering in the summer months and can rot if there is a high level of rainfall combined with high humidity in Brisbane weather. 

I’ve noticed that Aeonium Mardi Gras is a little slower to grow than other varieties as it is variegated. The plum, emerald green and cream colours make this a high contrast plant to include in the garden or in pots as your ‘thriller’ plant. As you may know, every arrangement should include a ‘thriller, ‘spiller’ and a ‘filler’ for maximum effect. Contrasting colours in your arrangements will allow your ‘thriller’ plant to really pop. I like to surround my Mardi Gras with paler or less ‘showy’ plants to direct the eye to the real show stopper.

Plant in well draining soil, Aeoniums do like a little more water than other succulents so a regular potting mix with added perlite is great for potted arrangements. I like to add mushroom compost (small quantities) and a fair amount of perlite if planting in the ground.