All things come to those who wait, they say. It certainly took a while this year for the flowers on our aloes to open. I'm convinced the inconsistent weather—cool, unseaonably warm, cool, rainy, cold—got the plants all confused. But finally, after almost two months of impatient waiting on my part, the aloes planted in the strip along the street are at their peak.
Aloe excelsa (first two photos) is flowering for the first time, and our three
Aloe 'Moonglow' (orange-yellow flowers) have never had so many inflorescences. Exciting times indeed!
Let's take a look!
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| Aloe excelsa blooming for the first time |
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| Aloe excelsa |
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| Aloe excelsa (left), Aloe 'Moonglow'' (right) |
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| This is the first of three clumps of Aloe 'Moonglow' we have now. They all came from the same mother—one of two plants in a #5 can (a friend of mine got the second plant in the pot). What a deal, considering all our 'Moonglow' cost us less than $10 in total. |
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| Aloe ferox, bigger than ever |
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| Aloe ferox wasn't satisfied with the large flower stalk on the left so it pushed a second one from the center |
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| Aloe ferox; the tree behind the fence is Acacia baileyana 'Purpurea' |
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| Aloe 'Moonglow', clump #2. The tall aloe is Aloidendron 'Hercules'; it's still much too small to flower. |
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| Aloe 'Moonglow', clump #2 |
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| Aloe hereroensis |
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| Aloe hereroensis flowers are truly spectacular |
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| Aloe hereroensis flower up close |
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| Aloe capitata var. quartziticola |
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| Aloe capitata var. quartziticola. What can I say? It's still my favorite aloe. |
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| Aloe capitata var. quartziticola |
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| From left to right: Aloe ferox, Aloe 'Moonglow', Aloe capitata var. quartziticola, Aloe glauca |
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| On the right: Aloe 'Erik the Red' |
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| Aloe 'Erik the Red'. It has the reddest flowers of any aloe I've ever seen. And they haven't even opened up yet! |
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| I take back what I said about Aloe capitata var. quartziticola being my favorite aloe. That honor goes to Aloe 'Erik the Red'. At least at the moment. |
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| Aloe 'Erik the Red' and Aloe 'Moonglow', clump #3 |
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| Aloe 'Moonglow', clump #3 |
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| Aloe 'Moonglow', clump #3. The yellow-flowering shrublet in front of it is the dwarf bush marigold I brought back from Southern California (a hybrid between Tagetes lemmonii and Tagetes lucida called 'Gold Medal'). |
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| Aloe 'Moonglow', clump #3 |
Since the weather continues to be on the cool side (the highest daytime high I see in the 7-day forecast is 61°F), I expect these aloe flowers to last another few weeks. I'll be sad to see them go. Although by then spring might be here for real.
My jealousy knows no bounds.
ReplyDeleteAll these aloes should grow well in Napa. Just saying...
DeleteOh man. I can wait to see the new garden. I don't have half of all your collections.
ReplyDeleteYou should see all the 4" pots I have sitting around...
DeleteErik the Red is beautiful! Congratulations on all of the plantings, they have come into their own and matured magnificently. Your color selection really paid off. Ah, the bliss of a patient gardener.
ReplyDelete'Erik the Red' is majestic. The flower color alone is worth it.
DeleteThank you for your kind words. I'm anything but patient, but plants don't care what I want--they're on their own time :-).
You have an incredible collection, Gerhard. I love both 'Moonglow' and the A. capitata, neither of which I can recall seeing here. I looked for new aloes on my foray to Santa Barbara County last weekend but came home empty-handed (in terms of aloes).
ReplyDeleteMy 'Moonglow' originally came from Home Depot, believe it or. But I haven't seen it for sale anywhere in the last few years...
DeleteI can get you a small A. capitata var. quartziticola if you're interested.
I love it. I really should at least drive by some day
ReplyDeleteYou've got fireworks going on in your garden as well!
DeleteYour garden is glowing!
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm so happy about it!
DeleteThat is weird that they are so late. Mine are mostly done, except for striata and its 'Ghost' hybrid. That's a show worth waiting for!
ReplyDeleteYes, they're definitely late this year. But the weather has been so erratic...
DeleteOMG can’t wait to see in person!
ReplyDeleteFortunately, the horrible wind we've had in the last few days hasn't done any damage.
DeleteAnd I thought they were gorgeous 3 weeks ago. WOW
ReplyDeleteRight now they're about as good as it gets.
DeleteIt's so beautiful! Great design! Have you seen many Humming Birds at the flowers yet?
ReplyDeleteTHanks, Dan! The hummingbirds seem to flock more to my grevillea 'Superb'. But it may just seem that way because the grevillea is easier to see from the house.
DeleteIt wasn't a great year for the Aloes here--even they need some winter rain, many are quite stressed. Yours look wonderful--so colorful!
ReplyDeleteI think Aloe excelsa and Aloe marlothii were so colorful precisely because of the lack of rain. I've been giving them a bit of extra water to help them get ready for the long dry summer.
DeleteWhat a stunning collection of Aloes. Your garden continues to amaze me.
ReplyDeleteCan you please share a source for the stunning Aloe Moon Glow? Since seeing it on your blog I
Have searched for it with no luck. I live in the East Bay. Thank you Gerhard for sharing you beautiful garden
and plant knowledge.
Thank *you* for following my blog!
DeleteBelieve it or not, my 'Moonglow' came from the Home Depot, but that was years ago. This year, they seem to be a bit harder to find. I suggest you contact the Ruth Bancroft Garden nursery. They should be able to help you.