Re: Aloes
- To: medit-plants
- Subject: Re: Aloes
- From: G* B*
- Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2000 08:57:20 +0200
>Hey Glenn -
>
>I'm curious if you can suggest some small, ground hugging Aloes that adapt
>to garden conditions well? I'm looking for ground cover types that can be
>combined with other plants in the garden. They should be able to go dry in
>summer (i.e. winter rainfall species?). We grow many Aloes here but they
>are often in the hands of collectors. I never know which might grow well
>in the ground in a garden setting. And it has been expensive and tiresome
>to 'experiment'. I'm trying to spec out some for planting in a public
>demonstration garden. BTW - I especially love yellow flowers on an Aloe!
>
>Any information greatly appreciated.
>
>h o r t u l u s a p t u s - 'a garden suited to its purpose'
>Sean A. O'Hara fax (707) 667-1173 sean.ohara@groupmail.com
>710 Jean Street, Oakland, CA 94610-1459, U.S.A.
Hi Sean
I have A. ciliaris in my garden. This is from the Eastern Cape but adapts to
a winter rainfall regime OK. It doesn't get watered at all in summer yet
always looks lush. Prefers shade. Red flowers. A true ground cover is hard
to find in an aloe. The ones which do form a total cover also form low
mounds. A. ciliaris, for instance, will get about 1m high. And they get
big - my clump is about 7m across. More suited for you may be A. commixta.
Winter rainfall, from the Cape Peninsular here & with a clear yellow flower.
Lower growing also. The problem is I don't know how it would adapt to your
alkaline soils.
In general I would observe that the Aloes are a very ' hard ' element to
introduce to a garden & seldom seem to combine succesfully with softer
foliage. They just never look right - to my eye. The upright single stemmed
species can be used as an accent plant or as pot features, but the lower
clumping varieties just don't seem to tie in well.
May I take this chance of wishing you all the compliments of the season &
expressing my appreciation of the stimulation & knowledge this forum
dispenses.
P.S. The day before Christmas & we've got light misty showers pushing
through - Perhaps there really is a Santa Claus after all.....
Glenn Breayley. Ragnarok & Valhalla Research.
POBox 26158, Hout Bay, 7872, Capetown, South Africa
Ph/Fax SA 021 7904253 E-mail valhalla@iafrica.com
Wholesale nurseryman & Tillandsia specialist wholesale & retail grower.
