Soiless Succulent Groundcover

Aeonium haworthii lives just fine without soil or water

The interesting thing here is not only do I never water this area, but that there is no soil under those those rocks. While the orange mint and Yerba mansa have long runners extending out from the pond, the Aeoniums are drawing all their moisture and nutrition from the air.

Of course, if you know succulents, you known that many are at least semi-epilithic (grow on the surface of rocks)and many are also shade tolerant. The Aeonium haworthii happens to be both, making it ideal for this particular spot which is shaded by a large podocarpus tree the first half of the day.

An aeonium pup growing on the rocks

The east side of the pond where the aeoniums are growing

My hope is the Aeonium keeps spreading and eventually covers this whole area. It’s a nice looking plant that stays low so as not to block the view of the pond from the foot path. Plus, I don’t think there is such a thing as lower maintenance than no soil, water, or fertilizer required.