That is true, the aeoniums keep their leaves but they go in cycles, dropping their winter to spring outer leaves as the long hot summers come, keeping only what it needs to endure the hot season, so the rosettes are smaller and more compact. I still water them sparingly in summer, just enough for it to have something to drink.
But I like the arrival of cooler Fall temps as it wakes up and some color transitions from burgundy to yellow green then back to burgundy, depending which cultivar it is, as the cold season continues to head on. And Mother Nature takes over watering
Pretty much succulents with rosettes does it..so I have learned not to get worried when there is some leaf drop, they are just shedding older outer leaves. But I still have to feel more confident chopping off the rosettes as needed to maintain a shorter stem, but I am slowly doing it now..baby steps...and learning the right timing to do it.
