Aloes aloes

As you know from this post published in mid-January, I've been wishing for more sun and warmer temperatures so the flowers on our aloes would finally open up. This winter hasn't been particular cold—only one night where the temperature briefly dropped below freezing—but we've had a surprising number of gray days in the 40s. No sun and hence no warmth from the fireball in the sky threw everything, not just the aloes, into a seemingly interminable holding pattern.

Finally, this past week has been sunny and warm—nicely warm. And to everyone's delight, our aloes are responding. Take a look!

Aloe 'Tangerine', planted just two years ago, has turned into a real beauty. It's thought to be a cross between Aloe arborescens and Aloe ferox.

As always, the first one to flower (and the one to flower most extravagantly) is Aloe 'Moonglow'. This is clump #1 of 3. It all started with one 5-gallon pot from Home Depot, which a friend and I split in 2015. There were five individual plants in the can; she got two and I got three. Less than five years later I have three large clumps!

Aloe ferox

Aloe ferox

Aloe petricola in the front, with clump #2 of Aloe 'Moonglow' behind it. The shadow on the fence in the left photo is cast by Aloidendron 'Hercules'.

Aloe petricola

Aloe wickensii, always a delight

Aloe wickensii

Aloe capitata var. quartziticola. I had to move it because of the 'Sonoran Emerald' palo verde which took a tumble last May but it looks like it's recovered nicely.

Aloe capitata var. quartziticola

There's still more to come. The aloes below aren't quite there yet:

Aloe 'Erik the Red'

Aloe excelsa, two multi-branched inflorescences this year

Aloe cameronii (the blue-turquoise flower is from Salvia bullulata)

Aloe 'Nick Deinhart' (Aloe speciosa × Aloidendron barberae)

Aloe marlothii

I'm really hoping this warm spell isn't a fluke, to be replaced by a cold snap that will nip this aloe spectacle in the bud. Fortunately, the 10-day forecast is looking benign.

On Saturday, I will be at the Ruth Bancroft Garden for their annual Valentine's Day Aloe Walk where curator Brian Kemble, a world-renowned aloe expert, gives a guided tour of the flowering aloes at the RBG. Look for a post next week!

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