Aloe Species, Coral Aloe, Hardy Aloe

This is really the only tall-growing aloe that is reliably hardy in the milder parts of the UK., and I have seen this plant survive -9 C ...Read Morein Southampton. The other hardy species i.e aristata and possibly polyphylla are stemless. My plants are starting to outgrow their welcome, forming thickets six feet across, and I had to drastically prune them this year.

The only damage is caused by slugs.

Not the best-looking aloe, with a straggly habit and dark dull leaves with small teeth. Stems will reach over three feet, but tend to collapse. The best way to keep this plant looking good is to cut back stems when they reach two feet, promoting a tidy-ish looking bush.

Cuttings root easily even in winter, and it produces masses of yellow and orange flowers followed by lots of viable seed. I've heard that another form exists with deep orange flowers.
To produce a low-growing suckering plant, push cuttings about 10 cm long into the soil 10 - 20 cm apart and cut the stems back when too tall - this encourages masses of suckers and branches.

It has been crossed with A. aristata to produce hybrid, but its hardiness is not yet known.
Perhaps it could be crossed with arborescens or another tender species to produce a more interesting half- hardy hybrid plant? Just a thought!

Aloe striatula grows in USDA 9a ( ~-7°C)
in my garden
vivou83

This is a slender suckering aloe that forms clumps/hedges. It has green, slender leaves (for an aloe) and smooth 1-2' stems about 1" in ...Read Morediameter. Looks a lot like a slender form of Aloe arborescens with smaller rosettes of only barely recurved bright green leaves. Can become a large shrub up to 6' tall and many yards wide. Flowers in winter or spring are simple with pendulous yellow floral parts along the flower spikes. One of the few flowers that can flower in zone 9a, as the flowers seem as resistant to the cold as the entire plant. South African native.