my aloe garden

2009-07-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

There is something nice and not so nice in all seasons. Our winters

are wet, but mild with brightly colored wild flowers.

Welcome! new visitors to our blog.We are at home in the south western

province of South Africa. Winter is in the middle of the year.

Aloes recover their full splendor very quickly once the rain starts.

This is Aloe rubroviolaceae (Yemen) a few weeks ago.

The brick is there to give an idea of the size.
Photo above was taken in March 2009
Photo below was taken in June 2009.

What a difference the rain makes!

Why not water the aloes year round? We have water restrictions but

that is not the main reason - aloes must have their natural dry cycle.

Aloes that are watered and grow in shade tend to become soft.

Insects, snails, fungus and bacteria will quickly find a spot to break

the skin and damage - if not kill - the plant. The leaves grow long

and sloppy and the flower stalk grows longer too, with the flowers

further apart which does not show off so well.

Note in the background. The flower buds of Aloe sabaea.
Another gem from Yemen. I will show it another time.

2009-04-26T08:20:00.000-07:00

This nest of the sunbird Nectarinia violacea (also refered

to as Anthobaphes violacea) can be right in your face and

it will still be invisible.

Thare are two sunbirds on a regular basis in the Western Cape.

The malachite sunbird Nectarinia famosa and the red/orange

breasted sunbird Nectarinia violacea. They love the nectar

of the Aloe sp. and also the Cotyledon sp.

I am not an expert in birds feel free to correct me if

I am wrong.

The nest is exactly the height of my face over the path

around the house. I must have been passing this nest

many times before I noticed it.

The sunbirds must have spent a lot of time building the nest

without attracting our attention.

The nest is near to invisible, even at eye level.

I lifted the leaves in the front to take the photo below.

It is a pity that I do not have a camera with a zoom.

The birds will think nothing of sitting right next to us

sipping nectar when we are in the garden, but we must

not have anything in our hands.

I tried walking with the camera. That was fine, they

got used to it, but the moment I lift it in their direction,

they dash away.

The juveniles resemble the female I guess we might have

seen some, at least from the other nests in the garden.

Any birds are welcome in the garden and we see to it

that they get some treats and water but we are not

into birding as such.

2009-02-27T23:23:00.000-08:00

Like most hobbies there is just as much fun in the getting as in the having. We planted small portions of our hobby garden at a time, as we got the aloes. We enjoy it as we have the memories how and when we got them. Some planning and designing went into it, but not anything intelligent e.g. by region, climate or species.

My
next project is to create a garden under the Ceratonia siliqua
tree. Half belongs to Rudi (neatly divided like the rest of the garden). I
have no idea what his half would look like, my half is for my smaller aloes and
Gasteria. Gasteria and the small aloes usually grow in the shade of rocks or
bushes and this shady space will suite them well.

Giving some idea of the size of the tree. The space beneath

it is a circle about ten metres wide.

The outside branches of the tree bend down to the ground

forming a secluded area around the tree, but these branches

had to be removed as the aloes would want some direct sun.

The area around the tree was overgrown by trifasciata

which we cleared and replanted elsewhere. The leaves of the

Sansevieria sp. grew dense and long in the shade supporting

each other. Having removed some plants the rest to toppled

over but all will go.

Some nice logs to use for decoration. Watch this space !

2008-10-26T11:51:00.000-07:00

Snail damage in the garden.
You can not win, get used it..

This morning was a lovely cool morning, one of the last cold fronts over the western cape before the long hot summer. I stroled through the garden enjoying it for a few moments then my eyes caught this aloe. The snails were out late on this cool morning having a brunch before they hide for the day !

"People pay to have snail slime on their skin, I am getting this for free" - I told myself while squashing the snails between my fingers.

In case you do not know it seems the word is going around that snail slime is one of those "proven" remedies for a youthfull skin. I took many years off the age of the skin on my hands but it did not improve the beauty of my hands which were scratched and bitten by the sharp teeth of the aloes at the same time. It is not easy to get the snails out between the aloe leaves.

I feel like doing something to that neck !

Something slower than a quick squash between my fingers.

Unbelievable ...this juvenile snail could not have eaten all that much in one sitting, he must be the last one remaining after a party. Rot can set in where the skin is broken in aloes and other succulents. The hole, on the top right side of the photo above this one must be from the previous party, it dried out well so there is no danger of rot any more.

I believe these two snails are an endemic snail species. I do not know anything about the identity of snails, you are welcome to help me out there. We see them often along the western coast (South Africa). They climb on the wooden fence poles and sit in a bundle. It seems easy to kill them, but those on the poles is only the tip of the snail-mountain. I have not seen them sitting in bundles on poles where we live, 100 km inland. They are not as many as on the coast, but they do a lot of damage all the same.

Could this be the delicatessen snail which arrived here from France? I am not tempted to try, but if we would learn to enjoy eating escargot that would solve more than one problem.

2008-09-20T06:55:00.000-07:00

Aloe arborescens in habitat.

This aloe has a very wide distribution from the eastern side of the Cape peninsula up through the eastern regions of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi.

These photos were taken in the Tradouw Pass of the Small Karoo.

2008-07-20T04:02:00.000-07:00

The cricket known as a Corn Cricket. This one which is drinking beer with us is the species that is most often seen.

The black corn cricket is not quite as large as the common brown cricket above.

The damage the insects did to these aloes are not as gruesome as it seems. An aloe has no problem to replace the leaves. There will be a problem if the aloe can not replace a portion of the leaves with enough water reserve for the long hot summer.

2008-05-24T05:34:00.000-07:00

Hanging aloes are adapted to a pensile life. These aloes are growing suspended as a rule and not because the seeds got stuck on a ledge. Many aloe species grow well on mountain slopes. As long as they have some grip in the soil they are happy, but that does not make them hanging or pensile aloes.

Aloe ferox just loves slopes. I doubt if anybody would think they are hanging. Just wanted to add the pretty scene.

Aloe dewinterii grows in the north west of Namibia on the steep dolomite slopes and high cliffs. On the cool side of a cliff is better than in the open sun but it can grow just as well on the ground usually on or under a dolomite rock.This plant has large leaves. The very soft pastel colors seem to be the rule in the Namibian aloes and the pale blue-green tinted with pink rosette is beautiful in the green garden . Next to the aloe is a dry bush, it is not old flower stalks.

Aloe comptoni growing in the Small Karoo. It also grows well on the mountain cliffs. On the ground it will grow creeping along with the upper part of the stem and rosette straight up and the old growth lying flat, later dying off. It looks better on a cliff. I would like to call it a hanging aloe but as it grows just as well on the flat ground it will not quite qualify.At last. Aloe hardyi is a cliff hanger growing close against the cliff. The obvious way that it hugs the stone or edge over which it grows gives a lovely display in the garden over a wall. The flower stalk growing from the plant in the middle is visible on the photo. The inflorescens grows a little way horizontal and then it turns upwards. The thick aloe leaves are stiff. Pull out the plant where it is growing and the rosette with the leaves remain in the bended shape it had fitting over the stone. New leaves will adjust shape..

Aloe hardyi blooms in winter.

Another pending aloe named Aloe pendens from Yemen. It has a relative thin stalk by which it hangs down, but the rosette face horizontally and away from the cliff. The thick stiff leaves grow in the half circular shape, it is not soft and hanging down. Turn the plant upside down and it will look the same as when you turn the photo. (You will have to take my word as there is no way that I will uproot it to show my point.) The flower stalk grows a little way away from the
plant and then it turns upwards. The small flowers are pretty, shading red with green tips. Buds are not open yet on the photo below. Aloe pendens blooms every 5-6 months.

Aloe hardyii (from the northern parts of the Republic of South Africa) and Aloe pendens (from Yemen) can not really grow comfortable on flat ground. They probably would survive, anything is better than dying, but what will they look like bending and growing over each other?

The relative small grass-like Aloe ballii from Zimbabwe also grows hanging from cliffs. It is a very pretty aloe for a hanging basket. It grows fast and easy and blooms throughout the year. It would not fare too bad growing on flat ground except for the flower. The flower stalk is a thin soft thread hanging down and that would not function on flat ground. On the photo is an inset of
the pretty flowers.

PS. I have only one plant, so sorry, no seeds (will try to make some hybrids).

I built this wall for my pending aloes. Aloe ballii to the right top is in a basket hanging nearer to me than the wall. It seems larger than it is. Aloe hardyii is to the right on the wall and Aloe pendens is in the middle. There are a few smaller aloe types on the top of the wall and some other succulent plants. The wall is very narrow and takes up little space but a lot can be planted on it. (flowers would be pretty too) Instructions to build your own wall is on my website.

Click the photo to enlarge it.

2008-03-15T09:14:00.000-07:00

Aloe color the
difference in habitat vs. the garden. The aloe rosettes shades of pink browns and greens are interesting and attractive in the garden. In the habitat those same shades hide the plants. The previous blog shows the aloes in the garden, here are a few of the aloes in habitat.

Aloe microstigma. In the garden this aloe stands out, here it disapears.

Aloe hereroensis ads a very special effect to a garden, but it is not an easy garden plant. Aloe hereroensis does not like to be wet and it needs good drainage. Plant it on stones in the garden in the sun and do not water. The rain, whatever it is will be enough. I know this and still killed a few. This way is easier and more successful in the garden. Giving very light but regular watering so that the plant does not go dormant is better than no water and then starting to water at the wrong time. The wrong time is - when the plant is dormant it should be stimulated

first with very little water when the temperature drops. Never water on a hot day (that is true for most plants) Very little water until it shows signs of growing, it can then be watered freely as long as the drainage is good.

Aloe khamiesensis in the same color as the stones! This aloe is also very attractive in the garden but it will be green in color unless it is watered very little and in full sun. In the habitat the seeds will get stuck under the bushes and the young aloe will grow in shade until it is large enough to face the scorching heat.

2008-03-01T07:22:00.000-08:00

The dry hot summer in colorful shades of pink and green. January and February are our hottest months. It was the end of February today and I already noticed for some days that the sun was up later than me. From now on the temperatures will be cooler with just some hot days between. However until the rain starts in six weeks or more, the soil will dry out more.

The very dry aloes are hanging on to their water reserves - waiting not growing. Each season has a distinct attractiveness in the aloe and succulents garden.

Aloe microstigma turned pink and shows off very pretty in the garden, but on the mountain slopes where they grow, they are near to invisible between rocks and dry bushes. To the left and front are two different Euphorbia species.

The leaves are rolled up like narrow spikes. The fine mesemb to the right back keeps the roots cool and the green background is a good contrast against the aloes.

Not all aloes fold the leaves inward protecting the young tender leaves at the growing point. The aloe left front is Aloe khamiesensis which grows in a very harsh habitat. It is much greener than it would be in the wild. It must feel like a mild summer to this aloe.

One thing I really like about the dry summer - no weeds in summer!

2007-11-25T00:04:00.000-08:00

I was tagged as 'meme-victim' by Ewa.

Rules are as follow:

When tagged, you must link to the person who tagged you. Then post these rules before your list, and list 8 happy things about yourself. At the end of your list, you must tag and link 8 other people.

A few happy thoughts

I am most grateful to have my husband Rudi still with me after 40+ years of marriage.

We function as one by this time and he carries the brain.

Rudi was geologist at the copper mine TCL in Namibia. The mine went broke and we retired early in the Republic of South Africa. Leaving Namibia was the saddest part of all. Good thing is - We learned to enjoy what is free in life.

Our three kids are doing very well and our grandchildren are adorable. "the usual grandma syndrome". I am happy that we did not have the www , computer games and TV. when the kids were small. We all know life with and without the media.

Our cats are our children now and I am proud of their quality in health and type.
Best of all they get me on my feet and away from sitting in front of the computer.

Our aloe hobby cultivating their seeds is another very healthy way of life. We enjoy the excursions to see the plants in their habitat. It is the same situation in this hobby, Rudi and I fit together - he likes the jobs I do not like and the other way round.

Some of the things I mentioned are two or three in one - I believe that will qualify as eight. It can be monotonous if it is too long and people will skip over what I suffered to write in any case.

A tag with only one good drama or something really juicy, will be much more interesting - on second thought, I do not have the writing skills for that.

I will tag

THEA and her hobby blog Greintjes

Granny J of walking prescott

Angie Gardens and junk they go together

Julie Succulents by J and other stuff

mmw Two Gardens

Bare Bones Gardening

Sam Chan

This tag is also on my website http://made-in-afrika.com/myblog/44meme.tag.htm
that is the web site of my blogs where I work off-line. We are not yet online 24/7. That is still too expensive over here.

2007-10-14T09:03:00.000-07:00

Nature park in the heart of the Karoo.

We wanted to see Aloe broomii and Aloe claviflora in bloom in their habitat. There can be no nicer place to go and look for them than in the Nature Park at Beaufort West in the Karoo.

The inflorescence of Aloe broomii is unbranched with densely packed small flowers. The buds are still tightly closed on the photo above. This aloe is endemic to the arid central Karoo region.

More aloes in the small garden at the entrance to the park The bungalows are at the foot of the mountains in the background, far from the noisy N1 traffic.

Photo above:- The view late afternoon from the back of our bungalow. There are some walking trails but visitors may walk where they please in the park before 17:00. The only warning is to remain in the car if the rhinos are visible. And take note bird watchers - In the park there is also bird watching huts at a dam where a large variety of birds will at least visit to drink.

We saw only the dung of the rhino on the dry river bed. Much more interesting was the exposed history where the river cut into the terrain exposing large rocks deposited by a glacier some 250 million years ago. Those rocks are about one and a half metre high (four to five feet) and a few are larger. I thought I could use the tree to show size but it is not as effective as it would have been with one of us standing there.
I took one of the small boulders home, so that I can look at a 250+ million year old souvenir in my garden. By the way at this stage Africa was still part of Gondwanaland, with South America, India and Australia.

It was only millions of years later when the continents drifted apart making cracks in the crust where volcanoes erupted, that the forces of nature folded and turned whole mountains on their side, as if it was playing with clay. This photo was taken in the Small Karoo to the south of Beaufort West. The folds can be seen much better when the photo is larger. Click on the photo.

Back to the present, we were driving up and down mountains looking for our aloes. One of the roads is visible to the left and back of the photo. We took the footpath to the top of this mountain but even that was without success. The aloes we saw at the entrance were nice, but the purpose of our visit was to see them in the wild. We saw many different wild antelope but the only wild things that we wanted to see were the aloe plants, and we found nothing on the top of the mountain or even in the deep crevices (where aloes often grow, no joking). We had a laugh to think we wanted to see them in flower, now we will be happy to see any one. There will be aloes somewhere in this very large park, but it seems they are not near any of the usual trails.

2007-09-23T02:50:00.001-07:00

Technorati Profile

2007-09-22T02:10:00.000-07:00

the road of death is that part of the N1 starting roughly at Lainsburg to Beaufortwes in the Karoo, just over 300 km long. It is a perfectly good road as far as we could see. We were on our way to the Karoo National park to see Aloe Broomii and Aloe claviflora in bloom in their natural habitat.

The enormous notice at the side of the road gave me a bad feeling. It stated - "Record without an accident is 11 days" and "The latest accident free record is 1 day ". It was early morning 9:00, the day was only starting.

This road carries the main freight between the northern parts of South Africa and Cape Town. There are very few cars amongst these enormous heavy freight trucks. We watched the trucks pass while having breakfast at a roadside picnic table. I found them beautiful, the sound was exciting too. Not that there was heavy traffic by any standard. 2-3 trucks would pass and be gone before a car or another truck would pass again. How on earth could there be so many accidents on this road?

The reason is not very obvious at first, but apparently it has to do with a straight monotonous road and tired drivers. The overall distance to travel is way over 1000 km for most of these trucks. The drivers work for a bonus if they rush or penalties if they take longer than the allotted time to deliver. There are stops to pull off the road and rest, as well as ripples in the tar that make a noise to wake up the drivers, but only so much can be done - money has the last word.

The day started without an accident but before noon we passed an accident near LeeuGamka, one of the very small towns near the main road. A truck full of apples was standing on the shoulder of the road leaning over at an angle which just needs a tiny bump to roll the truck over. Nobody was hurt (except the pocket of the unfortunate driver). The top layers of boxes filled with apples were thrown off the truck and apples were strewn all over the side of the road. Children from LeeuGamka settlement were having a ball carrying apples in anything, mostly their shirts. The police have little patience with cars stopping at the accident sites, so we had to drive on without taking a photo of the kids.

We spent the afternoon and night in the Nature Park at Beaufortwes (very nice, we can recommend it - in our next blog) and left at about 9:00 the next morning to return home on the same road. The notice read "days without accident 0" zero! at the start of the day... then we saw the flashing lights of the police at the accident. This time it was a small pick-up truck. It was badly damaged as it rolled far into the veld. We did not see any sign of what it was carrying and that is bad as the local people like to hitch a cheap ride on the back of these pick-ups. No stopping permitted so we drive on hoping nobody died in that accident.

We wanted to see more of the Karoo so we turned north to Fraserburg, away from the road of death. We felt relaxed and enjoyed the peaceful Karoo scenery - but then absolutely unexpectedly at the roadside we were reminded that there is no "safe from harm" place.

UNSERER LIEBER MUTTI EIN GEDENKEN + 12 - 12 - 1994

In memory of our beloved mother.

2007-09-15T00:54:00.000-07:00

Our winter garden for the year 2007 .

The winter garden in bloom with aloes and an enchanting lily endemic to South Africa.

This photo was taken slightly more to the front and in the opposite direction than the photo of the previous winter. All the daisies are not in bloom yet, which is good as they tend to dominate everything.

It is a wet winter this year with few sunny days. The disadvantage is that the pollen is wet and pollination is difficult. We had so many new hybrid aloe seeds in mind, but that is life... sigh. The aloes that bloom in winter are from the summer rainfall area where there will be no problem with pollination in winter. Most South African aloes ( 90%+ ) are from the summer rainfall - which is logical as only the western cape has winter rainfall.

I exchanged some lily bulbs and these two lilies were first to bloom. Lovely!!
Ignore the leaves in the background. That is a wild geranium a.o.

Note that the two lilies do not have exactly the same flowers ? I never saw so much difference in flowers before. Could be it is two different species of the same genus?

I am not a botanist - if you have not noticed.

Anybody know what lilies this might be? Clue - they are endemic to South Africa.

Most lilies are so quick to bloom and disappear, but it is exciting to find the blooms
every year, if only they would remain a little longer.

2007-08-11T02:08:00.000-07:00

Aloe out in the cold. We have been admiring the snow covered mountains from afar for many years but we never saw the need to drive to the bottom of the mountain just to see the snow above.

This year the snow caught our attention when it was announced that the roads to Sutherland were cut off as a result of heavy snow and rain. Sutherland is known world-wide for the new observatory which is the largest telescope in the Southern Hemisphere namely SALT (Southern African Largest Telescope)..Situated on a plateau in the dry Karoo the air is clear with little distortion. Fine for the stargazers but the dry air cools off very quickly making Sutherland the coldest town on the TV weather map. In short, we decided to go and see some snow from up close.

Purple mesembs and small bright yellow lilies are amongst the first wild flowers starting to bloom.The road winds up to the plateau through two mountain passes, but it is a nice drive with no
steep climbs.

What a surprise to find Aloe microstigma so close to Sutherland. This may be good news for the aloe growers in cold climates, but again the trick is that the climate is not only cold but also dry. Many aloes can withstand cold freezing temperatures in a dry climate. These aloes were growing on west facing slopes only. The aloes grow and bloom happily here because the snow will melt quickly and rocks warmed by the afternoon sun will keep the plants through the night.

Aloe microstigma in our garden. It is a neat attractive plant with a short stem.

Aha... snow at last. The snow melted quickly in the heavy rain with not much left over for us, but it is real enough to touch.

Snow! Now what can I do with that snow !? No, I will rethink that, it is a far walk home.

The round trip was 700 km and we did it in one day. I can imagine that readers in the cold countries must have a good laugh at what we do to touch some snow.

It was worth it, but for one flop ........ I forgot to take photos of Sutherland the peaceful small town in the shadow of a very important observatory. aghh... 700 km. to go back? It will have to wait a few years.

2007-07-15T04:33:00.000-07:00

The cotyledon succulent flowering plant for the garden

There are about nine species in the Cotyledon genus of which five are in Namaqualand. This plant is very easy to grow, it flowers well and the birds love the nectar.

The leaves are covered more or less by a wax layer which change the green to different shades from dark green (no wax) to blue-green and near to white. The shape of the leaves are also different and the color of the flowers are shades of pink, red and orange. This makes it possible to have an interesting water saving low maintenance garden with mainly Cotyledon.

These photos are from plants in my garden. I do not know their scientific data and I do not feel that it is important for me to know as there is no need to read up on growing or cultivating them. In any case, the garden plants will be mainly hybrids of different Cotyledon species. The sugar birds are the main polinaters and they can fly far and wide with the pollen. The only maintenance I do is to cut back the plants during or after the rain season.

The Cotyledon plants bloom throughout the year, but not as much as they do in the rain season. We do not water them at all during the dry hot summer.

Happy colors.

This color was known as "baby-pink ". It will be interesting to know what it is called in modern times.

Cotyledon soften the formal effect of the aloes.

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alt="http://made-in-afrika.com/myblog/cotyledon.small.species.aloes.jpg (63751 bytes)" WIDTH="350" HEIGHT="236">

This is a small Cotyledon species. The yellow-green emphasize the blue-green of the aloes.

For more photos of the different cotyledon in the garden visit our web site

2007-06-23T12:52:00.000-07:00

The iceplant Mesembreyanthemum crystallinum

The thought struck me that I should at least give the scientific name of the iceplant in my description of this plant in the previous post. To my surprise the first information I looked up on the web gave the distribution of the plant as Mexico and the USA. That was when I decided to go to the web site of the University of California. The plant is from South Africa but it was accidentally introduced to America by the first seafarers.

Crystalline iceplant occurs along the immediate coast from the SanFrancisco Bay region south into Baja California, Mexico. It can also be found on all the California Channel Islands..... It is found primarily in saline soils on coastal strand, coastal sage scrub, coastal bluffs and cliffs, and other disturbed ground. It tolerates saline soils, but not frost.

Mesembreyanthemum crystallinum grows not only on the coast but also in the dry sandy loam of Namaqualand which contains a lot of salts. There is frost inland so that it could not be very sensitive to frost in habitat possibly because it is protected by shrubs and boulders.

Something special about the plant - In the old days it was (probably still is) used to clean pots. A little sand added to the leaf mush will scour and clean a pot quickly. Not so long ago I met a woman who grew up in a household where the pots were scoured and cleaned in this way. I can imagine the women who live far from towns in the dry Namaqualand with very little cash money, could still be using this plant for soap and water. The juice and pulp of the iceplant is very good treatment for the skin.

I found a photo of the iceplant that we took a previous winter. This photo was taken in Namaqualand. I was more interested in taking a photo of the dashing grasshopper "knight with his armor" than the iceplant.

Is he smart or what ?!

See more photos in the previous post below.

Visit our hobby garden web site for tips to grow aloes from seeds

2007-06-12T14:17:00.000-07:00

the quiver tree Aloe dichotoma in habitat. During his visit to us my son wanted to see the "Quiver Tree forest". That is an experience not to be missed by anybody visiting South Africa or Namibia. To appreciate the full effect of the harsh climate in which these aloes grow visit in December, which was when these photos were taken.

The drive is roughly 500 km there and back. Our grandson Thomas enjoyed the boerewors and mielies for lunch (beef sausage and corn on the cob) at a picnic spot in the shade.

Exploring the world with Grandpa - on the shady side of the tree.

Note there is only a hint of green. Everything goes without water until the rains start after April.

Where are the lions and elephants ?

The Ice-plant in bloom. That is good strategy. In the rainy season there are daisies and mesemb flowers all over. In the dry summer months the few insects around will not miss the chance to visit this flower and pollination is for sure.

The name ice-plant has nothing to do with temperatures, but the cells filled with water must have reminded the local people of ice. It is more obvious in winter when the plant is bright green with the cells full of water and glistening in the sun.

Because of its sponge like fibrous composition the trunk of Aloe dichotoma has a very light weight. Thomas (aged three years and five months) kindly agreed to demonstrate the weight of a dead Aloe dichotoma trunk. The wind was strong and made it difficult for him to keep his balance, but he was not going to give up.

If a guy must pose on a photo for Grandma he will do it with a smile.

Finally the stem was in line with the wind and he could pose.

A last stop to get some of the high quality sandy loam for Grandpa's seedlings.

Visit our hobby garden web site for tips to grow aloes from seeds

2007-06-03T07:09:00.001-07:00

terrestrial orchids companion plants for aloes

The small terrestrial orchid Pterygodium.volucris can grow happy in the same conditions as the aloes in the garden. The name orchid usually goes with pretty or very odd flowers, but not in the case of this small orchid. The flowers are so plain and the same color as the leaves so that it is easy to overlook them. The plants are neat and they grow very easy.
Pterygodium.volucris is from the winter rainfall area so it needs rest in summer and water in winter. It can remain in the ground in a dry climate.

The orchids grow next to the Paintbrush lily Haemanthus coccinius (photo above) which bloomed a few weeks ago. The leaves in the background are from another lily Amaryllis belladonna.

The two large leaves are from the Paintbrush lily Haemanthus coccinius.
The Paintbrush lily sends out the flower first, then the leaves. They measure, each 39 cm long and 17 cm wide. In inches that is roughly 16 inches long and 7 inches wide. I measured them.

The little blue aloe is a hybrid growing without asking anything. I would have liked to ask it to make an offshoot or two, but it is not going to happen.

The winter rain has started and the dry patches between the aloes are turning green - soon there will be flowers all over. For now we enjoy the green and the anticipation.

2007-05-26T10:39:00.000-07:00

Cultivating the perfect garden aloe hybrid which would bloom throughout the year (preferably) is ongoing and not far away. There are aloe hybrids which bloom three or more times a year, with only a few weeks between the previous inflorescens and the new one. There are also the tropical aloe species that bloom twice a year and the aloe species growing in very arid regions will bloom after good rains whenever that opportunity arrives. Combining these aloes in hybrids is difficult as the seeds are seldom viable when the plants differ so much, but there are people out there who just love a challenge.

We started off with Aloe species plants. It is convenient to know exactly how the plant will look and what it needs to grow when planning where to plant it. Then in time we obtained some hybrids. A few times we thought (or was told) that the hybrid was a species plant and at first we were disappointed, but in the end we were not unhappy with the mistake as the hybrids were always very nice.
These plants were easy to grow and more often than not, they had very nice flowers.
Then we saw some hybrids not done by the birds and bees but by careful cultivation. They were stunning. However we do not have the years on our side, so we make some uncomplicated hybrids and enjoy the surprises given to us by the birds and bees.

Aloe dorothea hybrid is ideal for a border. The aloe sends out offshoots which will form a solid border. The leaves are a shiny yellow-green which will shade dark olive in full sun. The bright red flowers are also glossy and to top this, this aloe hybrid blooms at least three times a year - that is less than a month from the seeds on the old inflorescens to when the new one starts to grow out.

Some medium size aloe hybrids for the a garden.

Photo above. The aloe from my previous blog on buds Aloe petricola x Aloe speciosa, is a convenient size plant for most small gardens and a blue aloe always shows off well in a green garden - even when not in flower. Flowering time is in winter.

Aloe framesii x Aloe arenicola hybrid is a deep green and would not show off from a distance in a green garden - it usely has the effect of surprise at finding the pretty plant when it catches the eye of visiters in our garden.

photo above. Against the wall - what better than an assortment
of Aloe arborescens hybrids and cultivars.

A focal point

Photo above. The red hybrid is Aloe ferox X Aloe arborescens (red). The other side of this hybrid and in bloom at the same time, is an Aloe thraskii hybrid.

The focal point could be on size. We had no idea that this would be the size that this hybrid below would aim for. It is not planted as a focal point but on the side of the garden behind a tree. Many aloes grow higher than 2 m. but that is mainly due to a long stem not a large rosette like this aloe. This seed decided to go one better on Aloe marlothii. The effect of this hybrid on visitors in the garden is - "What is this?!" A man can stand in front of this aloe with his arms spread out and the aloe will still be higher and wider (and it is still growing).

The pole is 2 m. above ground.

At half the size in bloom.

It is possible to see the parent plants of an Aloe F1 hybrid. Further back than
that is for the experts with experience in hybridizing. Some garden hybrids have
been going on for generations, we do not even try to think what is in their
background as long as they are pretty and easy for the garden, that is what matters.

2007-05-12T02:49:00.000-07:00

more aloe buds Our winter is an exciting time with at least 80% of our aloes blooming from late fall to early spring. The real thrill is when a rare aloe blooms for the first time and buds are visible on our Aloe sabaea from Yemen! I have not seen this aloe in bloom except on a picture. Buds are also showing on Aloe rubroviolacea, also from Yemen and I have not seen it "live in bloom" either.

The raceme is often mentioned in describing aloes, it is the part of the stem on which the flowers are attached. The length of the raceme change the image of the flowering aloe a lot. Directly below is Aloe mitriformis with a very short raceme and at the bottom Aloe speciosa has a raceme that is roughly 40 cm long.

The buds of Aloe mitriformis on the left has just passed their green phase. This is the stage in the development of the flowers that I find the most attractive of this aloe, before it changes to the flowering shape on the photo right. There is no dramatic shading in the growth of the buds or in the open flowers.

Aloes tend to vary in the same species. As can be seen in Aloe mitriformis flowers above. The raceme is longer which space the flowers wider apart. The new bud can be seen on the right bottom of the photo on the left. It is obvious that the flowers will not be densely packed. However, that is not the only difference, these flowers are wider apart but much longer than the Aloe mitriformis flowers above - and how do you like those open flowers! The curling of the pedals are so charming. The bees do not have a problem pollinating these narrow long flowers as the nectar flow down and the pollen is also right at the opening of the flowers. The stigma will appear after the pollen is gone, most aloes are not self-fertile.

This is a lovely hybrid of Aloe petricola X Aloe speciosa. Aloe speciosa is obvious in the flowers and buds and Aloe petricola is prominent in the size and shape of the plant. A. petricola is not quite 50 cm high and Aloe speciosa is a tree aloe reaching 3 meter easy. This hybrid plant is just under 50 cm.

The many flower buds of Aloe speciosa are packed so tight that the raceme with buds feels as hard as a rock. Compare the buds of this aloe with the hybrid above - The buds are much alike but Aloe speciosa buds are very dense. The raceme with flowers on the photo right is 40 cm long - the same size as the hybrid plant (without inflorescens) above.

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What is the meaning of the word "cola" - The lovers of the drink need not answer.

It means "inhabiting or dweller ". petri (from petros) = rock + cola means rocks/stones dweller.

There is also an Aloe arenicola which grows on the west coast and it is a sand dweller.

2007-05-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

but it is a bud...
It is obvious that the Aloe species differ a lot in the shape of the leaves, rosette
and flowers but the buds are also different. The best way to identify an aloe is by the flowers as the leaves and rosette will change shape and color depending on whether they grow in shade, sun or drought but the flowers remain the same. The buds are not taken into account mainly because they change in shape and color nearly on a daily basis and the flowers are so much easier to identify. It can be interesting to watch the change and to note the differences in the buds of the aloes species and hybrids.

Aloe cryptopoda. The bracts give a prickly effect. The buds point upward and as they grow they tip over and color yellow when the flowers open. Then after pollination they tip upwards again. All the different stages are easy to see on the photo.

Aloe gerstneri. The buds hang down from the start and lift slightly as the flowers grow and ripen. The shading of the buds to flowers are lovely. The seedpods point upwards. I can not remember seeing seedpods that hang down.

Aloe glauca is another one of the few aloes with "fluffy" bracts.
The buds point upwards and the floers tip over to point down in a one-by-one fashion. The flowers seem spaced far apart but they are large which does not show on the photo - Prettier in real life. The teeth on this aloe are very sharp.

Aloe nuwerus. A lovely hybrid. The inflorescens branch with the racemes near to each other. This gives a nice show. The bracts over the very young buds look like fish scales. The flowers do not shade much. It is already obvious looking at the bracts on the young buds that the flowers will be many and tightly packed on the raceme.

I will write another blog with a few more buds, one blog will load too long.

2007-04-15T03:25:00.000-07:00

grass-aloes are rarely seen.
- The name grass-aloe fits the appearance of these aloes and camouflage them well where they grow in the grassveld. Few people take notice of them unless they are in bloom. The aloes are well adjusted to survive in their habitat. A grassveld is set on fire by lightning during thunder storms on a regular basis but the grass-aloes survive as the short stem and the top part of the roots are filled with water.
Aloe verecunda - photo below - is typical for a grass-aloe. The plant rosette (above the stem) is roughly 30-40 cm high (just over 12 inches) but some side leaves will be longer. It does not make a very long inflorescens with a short flower raceme very much like Aloe boylei on the photo further down.

Aloe boylei - photo below - is a larger grass-aloe with broader leaves than A.verecunda above. Not much higher, the rosette is about 40cm - 50cm high, but the leaves are broader making it a larger plant. The plants on the photo are still young, in time it will also develop a short trunk where the previous leaves were attached. Aloe boylei looses the leaves in winter where the climate is cold, making this an aloe which can be planted in cold climates.

I thought myself very lucky to get Aloe albida one of the rarer grass-aloes - photo below, showing size using my finger tip. This little aloe grows in crevices of one mountain range. It needs fire to keep the grass under controll as it can not compete with the larger grasses.

The rosette is maybe 10 cm high as the leaves do not stand up and it is a very small plant. The bright green leaves are covered in a waxy substance that protect them and give them a pale color. The leaves are less than one centimeter broad with tiny white teeth. See the photo below for the color of the rosette that is easier than words.

To be safe I kept Aloe albida in the pot where it was growing fine when I bought it.
The little aloe never looked back. I stopped fussing over it and Aloe albida often became completely dry before I realized it should be watered. Like most aloes it did not complain or wilt when it was dry. As A. albida has now overgrown the pot and the plastic is disintegrating I will have to replant it. I am going to plant one half in the garden and the rest in another container. I do not have seeds as I have only one plant with offsets and (most)aloes do not self-pollinate.

Up to now Aloe albida grew outside in our dry hot summer but in the shade with plenty mist and rain in winter. The opposite of the habitat of this aloe which is summer rain with mist in the mountains.

Most if not all grass-aloes like shade. It would look nice to plant a small patch of grass with the aloes growing in the grass, but I am still thinking on that. The patch of grass would have to be where the grass can not spread and most grasses die here in summer, but maybe not if I plant them in shade. The dead grass would also look good, sort of natural - I am thinking on that.

...... and now a beautiful grass-aloe hybrid.

We bought the young plants as Aloe vossii which is a critically rare aloe. The plants grew too well and was soon way larger than it ought to be. We then knew that this must be a hybrid even though the description of the leaves fitted Aloe vossii.

Then when it bloomed with a branched inflorescens the secret was out - this is a hybrid for sure.

We like our two miss-named aloes. The plants give a nice show and require no care with very little water.

The color of the flowers from the hybrid resemble the grass aloe A.cooperii. Could be a hybrid from a hybrid? Oh-well give it a name and make a new cultivar.

With all these grass aloes in a grass patch (different grasses), just think how the birds will enjoy it. Seeds followed by sweet nectar.

2007-04-13T22:53:00.000-07:00

The seeds of the paintbrush lily Haemanthus coccinius are so pretty that I would like to show them to you. The fleshy seeds of the Amaryllidaceae family should be planted immediately when they are ripe.

The seeds are placed on top of the soil and pressed into the soil to just below the soil level. I have planted seeds much deeper. It took them some weeks later than the other seeds, but the lilies managed to grow all the way through the soil and I know a gardener who places the seeds on top of the soil and that works too.
That was not meant to confuse you but to relax you - if they want to grow, they will grow.

One point can not be changed and that is the seeds do not last long. They can be kept cool for a few weeks but the fresher the better.

For the growing medium use normal potting soil and add some sand. 1 x sand and 2 times potting mix. Do not desturb the young lilies for at least a year, preferably two years.

I am going to plant the seeds on the photo. It always feels like a waste to throw seeds away and such pretty seeds can not be wasted. Pity it is so difficult to send the fragile bulky seeds or I would have asked who wants them.

2007-03-28T13:34:00.000-07:00

Indoor succulent plant gardens

Aloes succulents and fat plants grow easy indoors in pots or containers. Good drainage and strong light is all that they need. Here are two indoor gardens. A succulent indoor garden in a flat container with mainly fat plants from South Africa and a desert garden in a bowl with succulents and aloes from Namibia. The soil mix contains dolomite gravel, coarse sand and soil. A very weak plant food is given every 6 months with a sprinkling of a few Magnesium sulphate crystal between the plants. (A quarter teaspoon at the most.)

click on the photo to enlarge. The succulent plants in this indoor garden from South Africa. The white plant at the back is a Cotyledon, next row from the left is Aloe davyana, Aloe hybrid in the center and to the right back. Front row from the left is Euphorbia mammilaris. Gasteria species, Gasteria x Aloe hybrid and a group of Aloe brevifolia plants. The ground cover is two Crassula sp. The container is watered thoroughly and then permitted to dry out.

click on the photo to enlarge. This is a desert garden with plants from Namibia. The back row left to right:- mesemb, Tylecodon species, Aloe variegata, Euphorbia gariepina. Front left to right:- mesemb, Cotyledon species, the small plants are Euphorbia juttae, Aloe melanacantha and the small plant to the right of Aloe melanacantha is Anacampseros buderiana. This garden receives only enough rain water to damp the soil. It is then permitted to dry out. It may be necessary to merge the bowl in rain water once a year to rinse out salts or better would be to replace the growing medium with a fresh mix.

For more information and tips see cultivating succulent plants in pots and containers