Friday, January 10, 2020

The Aloes are blooming

Well, only one of my own Aloes is blooming but most of mine are small specimens.  However, I popped in at the South Coast Botanic Garden last last week to check on their collection.  SCBG extended their Desert Garden to include a larger collection of Aloes last year and, as many of these plants bloom during the winter months when flowers are otherwise scarce, I thought this would be a good opportunity to check on how the new plants are coming along.

This Aloe arborescens was already well-established in the older section of the Desert Garden.  In bloom it lives up to its common names of Candelabra Aloe and Torch Aloe.

Aloe 'David Verity', a hybrid of Aloe arborescens, is perhaps my favorite with its red and yellow blooms

I love Aloe 'Erik the Red' as much for its foliage color as its flower.  The specimens at SCBG are all still small.  This one was just starting to bloom.  This hybrid is a complex mix of 4 Aloe species.

This is the yellow-flowered form of Aloe maculata, aka Soap Aloe

I couldn't identify this one Identified by Diana Studer as Aloiampelos ciliaris, aka Climbing Aloe

Looking like something out of a story by Dr Seuss, this is Aloe pluridens, aka French Aloe

This is Aloe 'Rooikappie', a low-growing variety that blooms off and on year-round.  I have a couple of these in my own garden but mine have never produced this many blooms at one time.

Aloe 'Spiney' was also bred by David Verity.  Its foliage is covered with teeth.

The garden has a wide mass planting of Aloe vanbalenii.  Since my hybrid Aloe ferox x vanbalenii came from SCBG, I'm guessing one of these may be its parent.


While I was at SCBG, I also took a quick spin through the older section of the Desert Garden.  Here are some of the highlights:



Not the best photo but the dark Aeoniums glowed ruby-red here

This is a Boojum tree (Fouquieria columnaris), another plant well-suited to a Dr Seuss story

Stenocereus griseus, which always makes me think of a sea creature (a prickly one)

Drimia maritima, aka sea squill, isn't a succulent but I found these low-water plants growing in the Desert Garden anyway.  I love their leaves, which looked great here backlit by the sun.  I've coveted this plant for a long time but the bulbs were hard to find.

However, I finally found one at a relatively reasonable price last year.  The bulb was huge and heavy.  I planted it on my back slope, where my raccoon friends promptly dug it up and tossed it aside.  I replanted it and stuck a wire cage over it.  Now that the plant's foliage has emerged I've removed the cage and left it to fend for itself.


Whatever your weather this weekend, I hope you manage to find some bright color to liven it up.


All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

26 comments:

  1. So that last photo is yours on your back slope? Hope it thrives for you. Love the shot of the glowing red Aeoniums. Great to see all these big blooming Aloes. The small ones out in my greenhouse often bloom in winter too, but of course their flowers are tiny.

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    1. Yes, that photograph was taken on the back slope. Hopefully, I can prevent the ivy that relentlessly creeps over from the neighbor's property from engulfing it.

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  2. Mystery might be Aloe ciliaris, the climbing aloe, which has been renamed ...

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    1. That identification seems spot on, Diana. I don't recall seeing anything for it climb on. According to world of Succulents, Aloiampelos ciliaris is "untidy" if not provided support.

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  3. Nice to visit this collection again. The hummingbirds must be happy!

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    1. It's funny - now that you mention it, I don't remember hearing them buzz about when I was there. Perhaps I was too intent on capturing my photos, or maybe the hummingbirds are still hanging out alongside the Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha), which has been one of their favorite haunts.

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  4. Awesome. So many great Aloes in bloom. Even tho it's 'common' I really like A. maculata.

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    1. It's okay to like the "common" stuff, Hans. It simply means that your opinion is widely shared!

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  5. All the pretty Aloes! Good luck with that sea squill - I've had one for years on the slope, and I keep missing the flower!

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    1. Luckily, the sea squill is pretty even when not in flower, Renee, but maybe that's a sign that you need to trim your travel schedule a bit! Of course, with mine on the back slope, I could easily miss the flower too...

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  6. Who knew there were so many Aloes. Their blooms are beautiful.

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    1. There are LOTS more Aloes than those I showed, Lisa. Making things more complicated, the genus was broken up into 4 groups a few years ago. The one Diana identified for me is one of those that was reclassified and, as you may note, its new name is far more difficult to pronounce or spell than "Aloe.".

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  7. That is my memory of being in the LA area one January with all the aloes in bloom. In fact I brought home an Aloe 'David Verity'It has produced a wealth of pups but has never bloomed.

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    1. Aloes and other succulents became much more popular here as drought conditions worsened so now their winter blooms are plentiful. I'm sorry to hear that 'David Verity' hasn't bloomed for you yet, Jenny. My Aloe striata have been similarly slow in getting around to business but I haven't given up hope.

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  8. Oh, gorgeous! And we're having a snowstorm today, so I really appreciate you sharing your scenes of green, growing things and colorful aloe blooms. Cheers!

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    1. I hope the snow isn't too heavy and that you quickly warm up and get a nice gentle melt!

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  9. There isn't much bright colour here in Wales at the moment as it's wet, windy and miserable. These are so wonderful! :)

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    1. We could do with a little of that rain, Nikki. It's too back you can't redirect some our way.

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  10. I don't think that I've ever seen an aloe in flower Kris so it's great to see your photos. Such vivid glowing colours. The flowers of aloe 'David Verity' reminded me of a kniphofia.

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    1. It's funny you say that about the Kniphofia, Anna. I saw one in flower on-line yesterday and immediately thought "Aloe." Kniphofia wants more water than most Aloes here. I inherited one with the garden - it's bloomed just once in the 9 years we've been here.

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  11. Lovely photos Kris. Since aloes aren't (with a couple exceptions) hardy for us up here in the PNW I love any opportunity to see them in bloom.

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    1. As they don't die when they flower, Aloes are probably more popular here than Agaves, Loree.

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  12. Hi Kris, first, I loved the wide shots of your garden in your last post! Your garden looks huge! How large is it? Also, the aloes you featured in this post are amazing. the Aloe arborescens is really beautiful. Desert gardens from your part of the country are so foreign to me, and therefore fascinating! I will admit, however, that a lot of those plants look dangerous!

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    1. My garden is just over half an acre, Deb, large by the standards of Los Angeles County but perhaps not by standards in your part of the country. I think the varying levels make it look bigger. Aloes look more dangerous than they are - compared to Agaves, they're pussycats.

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  13. Desert gardens just aren't my thing but those aloes area very cool and the aeoniums are beautiful. :o)

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    1. Aloes probably wouldn't be very happy in your part of the country anyway, Tammy!

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