Aeonium, Echeveria, Sansevieria

Aeonium, Echeveria, Sansevieria. Nikon D800, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G.

Winter is when the Aeonium plants seem to come to life. The cooler temperatures seem to make the other succulents happy too.
Clockwise from left: Sansevieria parva white variegated, Aeonium 'Starburst,' Aeonium arboreum 'Variegatum,' Aeonuim 'Sunburst,' Echeveria 'Domingo.'

As a whole, Aeonium plants need protection from the harsh sun during the summer months. Some of them seem to shut down and not produce any growth. References say that summer is the dormant period for many of the Aeonium species. In general, I don't have great success with these plants. They don't seem to care for our tropical climate. Regarding propagation, I've made many mistakes with these plants. I lost a large 'Sunburst' by lopping off the top, thinking it would root like an Echeveria. It didn't, and the remaining base stem died too. I must have topped the plant when it was dormant, and as a result, it did not put out roots/new growth. I now wait for the cooler months when they start to "wake up." Seems like the ideal time to top off is when aerial roots start forming along the stem.  The variety 'Kiwi' (barely visible behind 'Starbust' above) puts out a lot of aerial roots closer to autumn.