Re: Aloe arborescens

Pamela,
When you go to France, be sure to make a stop at the Pepiniere Filippi nursery in Meze.  It's on your way to Bulb'Argence.
It's the world's most impressive nursery specializing in mediterranean waterwise plants.  It's owner, Olivier Filippi, has just published a wonderful book called Un Jardin Sans Arrosage, which is not out in English, yet.
He will be the keynote speaker at the MGS Symposium in Athens this November.
Cali Doxiadis
Corfu, Greece.
 
----- Original Message -----
From: "Pamela Steele" <pamela.steele@re-taste.com>
To: "Medit-Plants" <medit-plants@ucdavis.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 6:50 PM
Subject: FW: Aloe arborescens

>
>
> From: Pamela Steele [mailto:pamela.steele@re-taste.com]
> Sent: 17 July 2007 17:49
> To: david feix
> Subject: RE: Aloe arborescens
>
>
> David
> What a pleasure to get your knowledgable response.
> I was so interested in your ideas about companions for the Bulbine
> frutescens.  I know Convolvulus mauritancius I have it on another bank and
> it is doing very well.It doesn't need lots of water and grows over stumps
> etc. I was thinking that Nepeta or Perovskia atriplicifolium might do well
> but I haven't discovered Plecanthus -it looks like an interesting plant,but
> I am not sure if it is available here. We are so limited with choice.
> Funnily enough I have some Teuchrium (but frutiscens)planted nearby as we
> have very old Erythrina crista-galli above this terrace. The problem we have
> here in the Costa Blanca is that there are so little 'Mediterranean'climate
> plants to buy other than the Agaves, Palms etc. The tendency for planting
> 'instant' gardens full of annuals is disappointing because in the end the
> indigenous species are not readily available. Therefore gardens here are
> very samey. We are hoping to go up to France in September (Carcassone) to
> Bulbargence who supply some interesting bulbs and in particular I will be
> getting Arginea maritimus which I think is delightful and so suitable for
> our rocky coastal garden.
> Being very much a 'newby'in the gardening world I am grateful for your most
> interesting contribution.
> Best wishes
> Pamela
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: david feix [mailto:davidfeix@yahoo.com]
> Sent: 17 July 2007 16:52
> To: pamela.steele@re-taste.com; Medit-Plants
> Subject: RE: Aloe arborescens
>
>
> Pamela,
> Aloe arborescens will quite readily reroot from quite
> big cuttings if not done in the height of summer under
> full hot sun.  I usually harden off large cuttings in
> shade for a month or so, then plant out in the garden
> in the cooler spring months.  They can even be cut
> while in bloom, and perhaps take best in the garden if
> planted out in February/March.  Smaller cuttings will
> probably need to get at least 2 to 3 feet tall before
> they bloom regularly, in my experience.
>
> Bulbine frutescens looks more lush if if gets some
> regular irrigation in summer.  You might consider
> planting it with other similar water requirement
> plants such as the blue flowered Convolvulus
> mauritanicus, or purpled flowered Plectranthus
> neochilus, or the fuchsia/magenata flowered
> Calandrinia grandiflora.  The dwarf cultivars of
> Teucrium are also quite nice combined with Bulbine.
> One other suggestion for combination plantings with a
> blue theme, only foliage not flowers, would be to
> combine with either Senecio mandraliscae or the
> dwarfer, tighter growing and slower to establish S.
> serpens.  I wish we had all the various color
> variations of the wild Bulbine frutescens plants in
> South Africa, as I saw some lovely white and yellow
> flowered varieties with paler blue foliage while in
> the Little Karroo.  There is great variation to be
> seen in this plant in South Africa, and I think all
> our plants look the same in California because it is
> so easily propagated from cuttings, and no one bothers
> with seed.
>
> The other Bulbine species we grow here is also quite
> nice, and looks more like a juicy Aloe when not
> blooming; Bulbine latifolia.  The flower spike is much
> more substantial, looking more like Bulbinella
> robusta, and the plant is more touchy about growing
> conditions as well.  I seem to lose half of any group
> plantings to rotting out, while the remainder thrive.
> Bulbine annua is also easy to grow here, but is not
> really worth the effort, in my opinion.
>
> Bulbine frutescens does pretty well with just once or
> twice weekly irrigation in our mild coastal conditions
> by the bay, and with just once a month or once every
> two months right next to the ocean, where it gets less
> heat and much more coastal fog in summer.  The plant
> will let you know how often it wants to be watered, as
> it will stop blooming with too little water, and grow
> way too fast with too much irrigation.
>
> Best,
> David Feix
>
> --- Pamela Steele <pamela.steele@re-taste.com> wrote:
>
>> Thank you David, this is really helpful.It seems
>> best to take large cuttings
>> for this plant which I have not done.
>> With the Bulbine, I have a large area under a now
>> small 5 feet(planted last
>> year) Cordeline australis and I would like to put
>> the Bulbine or if that is
>> not suitable some Nepeta. It is a hot area with sun
>> all day but I can
>> irrigate it well.
>> Best wishes
>> Pamela
>
>
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