All our aloes want is some ☀️
The first two weeks of January have been unpleasantly damp and chilly here in the Sacramento Valley. Today, the sun has been making a valiant effort to warm things up, but a thin layer of clouds is keeping temperatures in check.
All I want is a few days of unadulterated sunshine. I'm not alo(n)e in this: Our aloes have been in a holding pattern for weeks now. They need a good spell of afternoon highs in the 60s to kick the flowering action into high gear. On the positive side—at least as far as aloe flowers are concerned—we haven't had enough rain to cause the ends of the immature inflorescences to rot. In fact, our rainfall has been modest since the official start of winter.
Here are the aloes in our garden that are waiting for warmer weather. Without it, they'll continue to sulk. And so will I.
© Gerhard Bock, 2020. All rights reserved. No part of the materials available through www.succulentsandmore.com may be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated or reduced to any electronic medium or machine-readable form, in whole or in part, without prior written consent of Gerhard Bock. Any other reproduction in any form without the permission of Gerhard Bock is prohibited. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States and international copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Gerhard Bock. If you are reading this post on a website other than www.succulentsandmore.com, please be advised that that site is using my content without my permission. Any unauthorized use will be reported.
All I want is a few days of unadulterated sunshine. I'm not alo(n)e in this: Our aloes have been in a holding pattern for weeks now. They need a good spell of afternoon highs in the 60s to kick the flowering action into high gear. On the positive side—at least as far as aloe flowers are concerned—we haven't had enough rain to cause the ends of the immature inflorescences to rot. In fact, our rainfall has been modest since the official start of winter.
Here are the aloes in our garden that are waiting for warmer weather. Without it, they'll continue to sulk. And so will I.
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| Aloe 'Tangerine' |
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| Aloe 'Tangerine' and Grevillea 'King's Fire' |
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| Aloe excelsa |
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| Aloe 'Moonglow' |
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| Aloe ferox, Aloe petricola, and Aloe 'Moonglow' |
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| Aloe ferox |
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| Aloe petricola and Aloe 'Moonglow' |
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| Aloe 'Moonglow' |
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| Aloe 'Moonglow' |
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| Aloe wickensii |
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| Not an aloe, but a great companion plant: Veltheimia capensis, a South African bulb |
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| Aloe capitata var. quartziticola |
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| Aloe 'Erik the Red' |
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| Aloe 'Moonglow' |
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| Aloe 'Safari Sunset' |
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| Aloe cameronii |
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| Aloe 'Nick Deinhart' (Aloe speciosa × Aloidendron barberae) |
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| Aloe marlothii (and Agave weberi 'Arizona Star') |
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| Aloe 'Mawii Gem' (Aloe mawii × Aloe globuligemma) |
© Gerhard Bock, 2020. All rights reserved. No part of the materials available through www.succulentsandmore.com may be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated or reduced to any electronic medium or machine-readable form, in whole or in part, without prior written consent of Gerhard Bock. Any other reproduction in any form without the permission of Gerhard Bock is prohibited. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States and international copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Gerhard Bock. If you are reading this post on a website other than www.succulentsandmore.com, please be advised that that site is using my content without my permission. Any unauthorized use will be reported.
They may not be at their best yet, Gerhard, but they're looking pretty darn good! Your photos have me convinced that Aloes are the ticket to fill the spaces left by the 2 agaves that bloomed themselves out last year in my street-side bed. I hope you get some sun soon.
ReplyDeleteDon't you hate it when the weather won't cooperate. When it does the aloes will be fantastic. I have 4 little pots of Velthemia that I started from seed. Your photo reminded me it's time to wake them up. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteEverything looks amazing, even if they're in a holding pattern. Oh, and highs in the 60s!? Sunshine!? Gosh...this sounds like an impossible dream.
ReplyDeleteI like the slow progression of Aloe flowers - revealing themselves over 2 or 3 months. You have so many inspiring Aloes - a few hybrids I've never heard of before. Also - love that large A. 'Moonglow' which does look like the unidentified one you commented on recently in my post.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy everything has slowed down. The flowers are lasting and lasting. Your sidewalk planter looks fabulous!
ReplyDeleteNow I've seen your 'Kings Fire' Grevillea, I'm going to go rip mine out of the ground and throw it in the trash. All 8 miserable inches of it.
They look pretty amazing just with a bit of early color. A lot of things seem later this year in Berkeley too.
ReplyDeleteGerhard, I love your site because it show things that are hardy in Davis. I am logged in as UCD but am now retired so will need to change that (if I can figure out how). Am super interested in more info on performance of Aloes in the Central Valley. Thank you!!
ReplyDelete