Aloes flowering late Autumn early Winter

[Tracy]

The Aloes in the garden are keeping the bees happy and they are ready to offer up some nectar for a while based on all the inflorescence that don't have flowers open yet.  As more Aloe species flowers start opening, I'll be adding a few more photos.  In the meantime, please share a few of Aloes flowering right now in your garden.

[Tracy]

Some of the "fruit" so to speak of last year's flowers popping up in one of my planters.  I believe these are Aloe microstigma.

[tinman10101]

love the dorotheae tracy.  the color really pop.  unfortunately my extreme weather does not allow for good growth of this species.  love your ferox candelabrum variety.  .  the babies definitely exhibit the mircrostigma characteristics. 

my ampefyana is budding and will post when it is fully open.  i have noticed that in the high desert where i live, the growth is half the rate of SD climate so I wait forever for my aloes to mature.  being in a perfect climate to grow aloes have you tried growing helenae (hopefully solitary form0,  angelica, viridiflora, or eximia.  these are some of my favorites and i have these here some for over 6 years and still not big enough to flower. 

in any case, i look forward to you sharing more of your aloes blooming.  

 

[Tracy]

5 minutes ago, tinman10101 said:

ave you tried growing helenae (hopefully solitary form0,  angelica, viridiflora, or eximia.  these are some of my favorites and i have these here some for over 6 years and still not big enough to flower. 

I haven't tried any of these, but I do have a couple that were acquired as something they clearly are not and I'm still waiting on inflorescence to help identify them.  I'll be looking forward to seeing all of yours when they get into bloom!

[Palm Tree Jim]

Well done Tracy!

Incredible colors.

[Tracy]

On 12/7/2021 at 10:32 AM, tinman10101 said:

being in a perfect climate to grow aloes have you tried growing helenae (hopefully solitary form0,  angelica, viridiflora, or eximia.  these are some of my favorites and i have these here some for over 6 years and still not big enough to flower. 

Since I started the thread, I feel I can hijack it briefly to show an Aloe not in flower that has never flowered yet, and I'm hoping when it does to get an accurate identification.  I have had this growing in a pot for about 5 years now and it was misidentified as Aloe bainesii (now Aloidendron barberae) when I bought it in a 3 or 5 gallon pot.  It has been a bit slower than most of my other Aloes and Aloidendron, but most of the others are also in the ground.

[Tracy]

Another that I also bought approximately 5 years ago that has been slow (again always in a pot).  I moved this one around the yard and it actually didn't seem to like full sun, so it's now in a spot that gets full mid-day sun, but filter morning and afternoon sun.  I have seen a similar looking Aloe in a yard here in Leucadia.  The individual has a couple, and while a little thicker than mine at triple the height, it is still rather lean looking and is growing under some Howea forsteriana in heavy shade.  I have never seen the ones in the other garden flower and mine shows no sign of being anywhere near flowering.

[tinman10101]

23 minutes ago, Tracy said:

Another that I also bought approximately 5 years ago that has been slow (again always in a pot).  I moved this one around the yard and it actually didn't seem to like full sun, so it's now in a spot that gets full mid-day sun, but filter morning and afternoon sun.  I have seen a similar looking Aloe in a yard here in Leucadia.  The individual has a couple, and while a little thicker than mine at triple the height, it is still rather lean looking and is growing under some Howea forsteriana in heavy shade.  I have never seen the ones in the other garden flower and mine shows no sign of being anywhere near flowering.

this is most likely bainesii or tongainsis (medusa or bainesii hybrid).  im leaning more towards classic bainesii but i am still an amateur.  it should branch prolifically when it is larger and a more accurate determination will be had once it flowers tracy.  

[Tracy]

15 minutes ago, tinman10101 said:

most likely bainesii or tongainsis (medusa or bainesii hybrid).

I have often thought the one up the street that mine resembles is an Aloidendron tongaensis.  This last summer there were some larger Aloidendron tongaensis cuttings for sale by an orchid vendor at one of Andy's Orchid's open house and they looked like the could have been cut off the one up the street from me.  The fact that this seems to appreciate some shade in my climate has lead me to speculate that it is A tongaensis.  Your mentioning it too or possibly a hybrid with Aloidendron barberae (aka Aloe bainesii), further reinforces my suspicions about this plant.  Thank you for the feedback that I was fishing for.

[tinman10101]

1 hour ago, Tracy said:

Since I started the thread, I feel I can hijack it briefly to show an Aloe not in flower that has never flowered yet, and I'm hoping when it does to get an accurate identification.  I have had this growing in a pot for about 5 years now and it was misidentified as Aloe bainesii (now Aloidendron barberae) when I bought it in a 3 or 5 gallon pot.  It has been a bit slower than most of my other Aloes and Aloidendron, but most of the others are also in the ground.

this one is a little harder tracy.  the ribs running longitudinally along the leaves look like variegation from the angle of the pic but i dont believe it is.  the fact that the leaves are recurved and not more relaxed and upright eliminates hercules but you know that.    as well as the the much warmer tones in the color of the leaflets.  it is obviously some type of aloe tree form but i wouldn't put it past as some type of hercules hybrid of some sort.  i can only think of one true aloe tree species i have seen that displays these characteristics and it is aloe thraskii but that would be an easy determination once it flowers.  a good clue is actually the seller of the aloe.  if its a specific backyard grower than maybe we can identify its origin.  in any case, its still a beautifully grown aloe.  

*edit:  may look a little too robust to be aloe thraskii to me.  

[Tracy]

18 hours ago, tinman10101 said:

i can only think of one true aloe tree species i have seen that displays these characteristics and it is aloe thraskii but that would be an easy determination once it flowers.  a good clue is actually the seller of the aloe.  if its a specific backyard grower than maybe we can identify its origin.  in any case, its still a beautifully grown aloe.  

I picked up a few Aloes about this time from two local nurseries here in Leucadia;  Anderson's La Costa and Gardens by the Sea.  Both bring in some interesting species from growers that cater to the smaller private nurseries.  I just don't recall which this one came from.  I know the owners of both so should take a photo of it and ask them if they know.

[Tracy]

Aloe somaliensis in bloom.  I have had this in the ground for probably 5 or 6 years now and while it did put out one pup, it has not put out any additional ones.  It seems content remaining in it's confined area.  Flowers don't open wide, but still enough to attract both bees and humming birds.

[tacobender]

Love aloes

[xpeditions]

Aloes definitely help keep the garden lively during the rainy season. 

[Josue Diaz]

On 12/25/2021 at 10:29 AM, tacobender said:

 

 

 

Any idea what THIS is?! Looks incredible - almost like dichotoma x speciosa

[Josue Diaz]

Here are a few currently in my yard in Fresno.

 

This is aloe Safari Rose - I chose this one specifically because it blooms mid-winter

Vanbalenii in the back is sending out a spike also

Striata don't bloom until March for me, but they are always so pretty in winter with their pink and purple blush

Hercules - years from blooming, I'm sure, but in prime growing season.

An unknown hybrid which blooms reliably this time of year. 

 

Left to right: speciosa, vanbalenii, Safari Rose in bloom, rubroviolacea in spike, Rooikappie in bloom. Aloe tomentosa at the far front near the center. 

Edited December 29, 2021 by Josue Diaz

[BigFrond]

Fiery in full glory.

[BigFrond]

Need to put this in a big container.  It's yuge now!

[BigFrond]

Don't know what this is but it is rooted into the ground.  

[tinman10101]

Aloe ampefyana 

 

 

[tacobender]

On 12/29/2021 at 11:31 AM, Josue Diaz said:

Any idea what THIS is?! Looks incredible - almost like dichotoma x speciosa

I think it is pure dichotoma, the trunk is huge, it has a difficult time getting over 2 meters tall I believe because of the location in the yard. It is a very windy, salty spot close to the ocean.

[Tracy]

We are now more in mid-winter in the northern hemi and the Aloe cameronii flowers are opening.  Some of the Aloe microstigma are at the end of their blossoms, while others are midstream.  The humming birds are keeping happy but temperatures seem to have dropped enough to slow down bee activity.

[tinman10101]

On 12/29/2021 at 11:47 AM, BigFrond said:

Don't know what this is but it is rooted into the ground.  

looks like cryptopoda aka wickensii

[tinman10101]

ferox bicolor (orange to yellow)

[tinman10101]

and some color on the xeric side

[BigFrond]

Thanks for the ID!  That ferox has nice colors.