my aloe garden

Rock gardens

noreply@blogger.com (ericat) — Mon, 06 Jul 2015 17:52:00 +0000

Four different rock gardens

Build a rock garden against a wall

Rock garden wall built standing alone

Flat rock garden

a full garden size rock garden

The wall standing alone is the only rock garden that might need some instructions. It was build using large building blocks in the centre row. Smaller flat stones cemented on top of each other, leaving pockets for soil and plants, were then added in front to hide the large blocks. The building blocks are hollow which is convenient to plant the top row.

noreply@blogger.com (ericat) — Mon, 06 Jul 2015 10:55:00 +0000

Windhoek Namibia.

Meet Kambi the kudu doe with her innocent eyes and long eye-lashes. The feral cats on the farms form bonds with the cattle and horses in the stables. They catch rodents and live with their adopted 4-leg families much like the cats living with humans in cities.

noreply@blogger.com (ericat) — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 09:12:00 +0000

The aloe garden looking back over time and different seasons.

The aloe succulent water saving garden all rolled into one effort, the first year after we planted it. That was a busy time.

A few years later

The garden in the winter rain season.

The aloes are in bloom and unlike the dry

summer, it is green with flowers all over.

This photo was taken to the right side of the photo above after the daisies and mesembs started their flowering.

Summer time in the Western Cape province is hot and dry, but winter time makes up for it with rain and a mild cold weather. The world change into green with natural flowers and also easy gardening for people who like more exotic gardens.

This is one of the "back roads" into Sutherland. If you take a close look - you will spot the daisies.
Sutherland is the small town near the well known SALT observatory. The climate temperature is of the lowest in the RSA in winter, but more important for SALT is the dry air. Yet the daisies ads some colour even in this harsh climate.

Aloe barberae tree aloe

noreply@blogger.com (ericat) — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 12:18:00 +0000

Aloe barberae tree aloe

Aloe barberae below is not from a harsh habitat
and an easy tree aloe to grow in a garden.
The range of this aloe is a broad coastal zone from East
London in South Africa northwards up to Mozambique.

Above:- This is a group of trees planted together.
Here it is growing very well in the winter rainfall frost free climate. Aloe barberae does not like frost but even there you will find them in gardens in Namaqualand or in the Karoo botanical garden where there is frost. The secret is that it is dry frost and the trees were protected by other plants or against a house. Wet and cold kills most aloes.
This tree grows high.

Here is Aloe barberae as a single tree planted next to
Aloe marlothii to the left and Aloe ferox to the right - Both species are also described as tree aloes and are about 3 metres on the photo but the aloes grow larger than that. They seem shorter because of their width, but they are large and heavy!
The photo was taken in the botanical garden near
Worcester. The Aloe barberae tree grows on a hill where the cold air will move downhill quickly. This climate is very dry compared to the habitat of Aloe barberae which proves again that this is an easy aloe to grow.

Photo above is a group of trees planted together. Here the trees are growing in winter rainfall and still going strong. This is a very adaptable aloe.

tree aloe Aloe littoralis

noreply@blogger.com (ericat) — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 09:55:00 +0000

Aloe littoralis tree aloe growing in our aloe and succulent water saving garden Aloe litorallis is a tree aloe that may grow at least to 3 meter high. It is special in that it blooms very young and small for a tree aloe.

The aloe in centre front is an Aloe aculeata x Aloe zebrina hybrid. It grows without problem but I would have liked it to bloom more often than skipping a year ever so often.

It is a pity that the aloe and messemb do not bloom together for the photos.
The messembs should be beautiful this year.

Below Aloe littoralis in habitat that is near Windhoek Namibia .

The inflorescence of Aloe litorallis is impressive as is the whole plant.

Tree aloes

noreply@blogger.com (ericat) — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 10:44:00 +0000

Tree aloes

Few gardens have the space or very strict conditions to grow these extraordinary "tree aloes", but it is worth the space and trouble. These plants never fail to attract attention to a garden. The tree aloes are under discussion and it seems that a change of classification might be done in the near future. It should be available on the www .
Aloe pilansii the top of the range of "must have" for the serious and experienced aloe gardeners. It is also the most difficult of the tree aloes to grow - if you are able to get one!
That is me very honoured to stand next to this tree aloe in habitat. Take a look at that habitat. Near to impossible to create and even if you live in semi-desert the chemical make-up of the soil plays a role too.

below:- Aloes of this group known as tree aloes growing in the Vanrhynsdorp nursery. The nursery is situated in habitat of these aloes which makes it much easier to cultivate them. Tree aloes from this Vanrhynsdorp nursery has been transported by air at great cost to quite a few gardens public and private world wide.

This photo was taken inside the nursery near the office. In the centre of this aloe group is a very well grown Aloe ramosissima - it seldom reaches that hight. It is the smallest of this tree aloe group forming a bush growth not single stem tree growth. It is more difficult than Aloe dichotoma when grown out of habitat.
On the photo above; Aloe dichotoma, is on the left. Aloe dichotoma x Aloe ramosissima hybrid growing to the right is easier to cultivate and grows faster than either one of the two species.

above: Aloe dichotoma in habitat. Richtersveld RSA. That is a natural group of trees. Trees can be seen on the hill in the background. The trees grow in rocky areas where the seeds are blown under the rocks and the seedlings are protected against the harsh sun.

Lovely photo taken in the southern part of Namibia after a good rain season. The Aloe dichotoma servived the difficult first stage and may have enough strength to become a tree with branches.

Aloe dichotoma has no problem to grow in a public garden in Windhoek. The green grass grows in the top soil layer which is watered. A few centimetres down the ground is dry.

noreply@blogger.com (ericat) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 19:12:00 +0000

A new book, on Limestone Fynbos, published by the Duiwenshok Conservancy.
(not a profit organisation!)

Limestone Fynbos is an intriguing flora that occurs on our southern coast, wherever there are limestone hills or cliffs. Most of the plants occur in a broad sweep from Gansbaai to the Gouritz River, including pockets at Cape Point and Macassar. This flora can be divided into three natural units, Agulhas Limestone, De Hope Limestone and Canca Limestone. In December 2007 Veld and Flora published an article on the Agulhas Limestone. The Duiwenhoks Conservancy has added a new aspect to the literature available on this rather unknown flora by publishing a book that describes the Limestone Fynbos of the Vermaaklikheid area, near Heildelberg, which falls in the Canca Limestone unit.

Limestone Fynbos is floristically very different from other vegetation. The reason for this is that these plants thrive on a soil type that would be toxic to most fynbos plants, which are normally found on acidic or neutral soils. They grow on limestone soils, which are so alkaline that if you squeeze lemon juice on them they will fizz. It is this alkalinity in the soil that is toxic to most fynbos plants. In a remarkable adaptation to a hostile soil environment, Limestone Fynbos has evolved as a unique flora that shares only a few species in common with sandstone fynbos and sand fynbos. As one would expect from a flora that is confined to such specific soils, many plants are endemic, meaning that they grow only on such soils or even at only one locality.

At first glance, this little-known flora appears as dry woody scrub. On closer inspection a fascinating array of intriguing and sometimes tiny flowers emerge. Over the past ten years, the author Louisa Oberholzer began collecting, describing and photographing the plants in the Vermaaklikheid area of the Western Cape ( Near Stillbaai). The Duiwenhoks Conservancy provided financial support for the identification of the species and finally for the publication of the book, Limestone Fynbos of the Vermaaklikheid Area. It presents a photographic record and description of 124 species. Of particular interest are the intriguing Fabaceae, or pea-like flowers and the pungent buchus, which belong to the Rutacea or citrus family.

The aim of the publication is to inform the public and particularly landowners about the value of Limestone Fynbos and the importance controlling alien vegetation, which is a major threat to all the fynbos plant communities.

The book is priced at R130.00 available from the Duiwenhoks Conservancy, (info@duiwenhoksconservancy.co.za) and also from the author, (louisa.stanford@gmail.com)

noreply@blogger.com (ericat) — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 18:41:00 +0000

Kalanchoe beharensis

is a tree size succulent plant from Madagascar.
It keeps up the Kalanchoe legacy that is: hardy and it
grows very easy from leaves or pieces of stem.

Photo above is one plant. This could have been an
even bigger bush if it was not that the branches are often blown off by the wind. The stems are not strong enough for the heavy leaves full of water.

Showing size of leaf. The bullterrier posed for size. One leaf will easy cover her head.

The pattern where the leaves were attached on the stem is
pretty. There is a hollow as if it was scooped out. Smooth and shiny. With points like thorns on the rim but these "thorns" where the leaves were attached are blunt and do not cut or scratch.
The inflorescence is very large and heavy.

It is a pity that the flowers are so very small but beautiful seen close-up striped in pale red pink and green.

noreply@blogger.com (ericat) — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 18:17:00 +0000

The Kalanchoe genus

vary from odd to interesting and beautiful succulent plants. For the most part popular. However there are a few species that are very hardy and grow easy from leaves or any piece of vegetation so that they are seen as weeds.
Kalanchoe bossveldiana, could be the most popular
species cultivated for beautiful flowers here in the Republic of South Africa. The plants are mostly sold in pots but they do best hanging.
Here on my rock garden wall the pink flowering one is
so pretty I bought the yellow flowering one this year.
There is a bright red one growing wild in the Kavango area. I must add an update photo some time

I am looking forward to the yellow flowering Kalanchoe
blooming as nice as the pink one next year.

The hanging aloes on the wall are a small species one from Madagascar to the left of the pink blooms. Then to the right three Aloe pendens from Yemen followed by a few Aloe hardii from South Africa.

feed me

noreply@blogger.com (ericat) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 11:15:00 +0000

Feed me

The theme in our garden is aloes with other water saving plants to keep it interesting.
Maybe "water wise gardening" fits the theme better. Any succulent and drought resistant plants which do not harm my aloes are welcome.
Strolling through the garden a few days ago, this scene triggered a memory.

Take a second look.
That was very long ago I know - but does "feed me !!!!" ring a bell ?

The weird plant in "Little shop of horrors" ... A very old rock musical (but the kids still enjoy to see it.)

This plant is so realistic to the plant in the musical that I could hear it say - "Feed me !!"
While taking this photo I had a strange feeling it might snap at my finger.

Now serious. This is a very easy water-wise plant that can grow well over a meter high. The hairy leaves are soft with a velvet touch.
It was cultivated from Kalanchoe beharensis from Madagascar.!
aha ... I knew it. I would expect something like that from Madagascar.
yes?!....

noreply@blogger.com (ericat) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 17:33:00 +0000

Euphorbia species

It is extraordinary how many Euphorbia there are and how much they differ from each other. The only way to know they are related is by the flowers.
Here is a photo of the tiny ground cover. The leaves are very small in dry weather. I added my finger tip for scale.

It was only recently that I found out that this old favorite ground cover was in fact an Euphorbia!

Never forget that the milky sap or latex of the Euphorbia plant is highly toxic. Especially in the eyes. There is one very fierce large tree size Euphorbia in the northern parts of South Africa where it is dangerous in habitat where those large plants grow to walk downwind when they are in bloom. Your eyes will start burning and you better cover the eyes and nose with a piece of cloth quickly.
Surprisingly the bees and butterflies love the flowers !

There are animals - even domestic cattle - that eat some of the Euphorbia species. This is life saving for the animals in Namaqualand and the Karoo.
I would like an assortment Euphorbia between the aloe
plants but most of the pretty or odd ones are rather difficult plants out of their habitat.

noreply@blogger.com (ericat) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 16:33:00 +0000

Orange slime for Gisela.
If you have some info on this then we can add it here.
Let me know if you want the larger photos and I will email it to you.
I saw it only once - early morning. By midday the
bubbles have all "melted" into a thin layer of orange liquid.
If I had a scientific mind I would not have picked it up
but I wanted to have a closer look and did not realize it was so very fragile.

There was no sign that the slime damaged the plant in any way. This was large enough to fill my hand - "fist size".

noreply@blogger.com (ericat) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 11:41:00 +0000

Ever changing scenes in the garden. After I took the photo I realized how much the scene changed. Seeing it every day it seems to be the same. The aloes are Aloe gerstneri in front and you need to look close to see Aloe speciosa behind.

Photo above was taken January 2007
Photo below was taken January 2010

Aloe gerstneri blooms in summer and Aloe speciosa in winter. The photo bellow is to show Aloe speciosa in bloom, winter July 2009.

The angle of this photo is slightly different. There are still two Aloe gerstneri plants the second one is behind the first one. The toppled plum tree can be seen in the background with only a few yellow leaves on it. The winter growing mesemb on the left is now bright green. This photo below of Aloe speciosa was taken 1 Aug. 2010. In fact I went and took this photo a few minutes ago. Those flower racemes are at least 50 cm high and there are three! Below, this aloe from the side showing clearly the rosette facing north which is the rule for this aloe species.

noreply@blogger.com (ericat) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:39:00 +0000

This rock garden is excellent for a veranda, balcony or indoor.

The plants are in pots hidden by the stones. To reduce the weight on a balcony - place polysterine foam around the pots which then need only a single layer stones to cover it.

Scatter small pebbles between the stones to fill gaps and holes.
Bright lights are needed to grow the succulent plants in this eye-catching indoor rock garden.

noreply@blogger.com (ericat) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:56:00 +0000

Trusting you are enjoying the festive season and wishing you a healthy joyful new year.

Take a look what I found in the garden for xmas.

It is a member of the Dandelion family.
The seeds are large, about the size of a tennis ball.

A little glitter added to the festive season, but the
natural glitter above is also pretty..

I picked them the beginning of December and they are
still exactly the same.
That must be because I keep them out of a draft
and nobody touches them.

noreply@blogger.com (ericat) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 08:15:00 +0000

The garden changes in time and season. Take photos of the garden in the same way as taking photos of kids growing up. It is not obvious from day to day, but looking back on the photos there are differences and a lot of memories.

The aloes in bloom. All aloes do not bloom at the same time, but most from the summer rainfall area, bloom in winter. ( the seeds will be ready for summer rain) That is about 90% of the species in

South Africa

The scene is calm and pretty,

the mesembs and daisies are not in bloom yet.

Now the mesembs and daisies are in bloom too. The last blooms on the racemes of the red hybrid (Aloe ferox X Aloe arborescens) are opening.

It is a carnival of color and some visitors are having a ball. These glittering little bugs are harmless to the flowers. They live on nectar and pollen, assisting in the pollination of the plants in dry harsh ecosystems where there are not many bees.

noreply@blogger.com (ericat) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 11:31:00 +0000

The back door garden without a lawn.
That was a wise decision.

Way back we reached a point where keeping the lawn healthy and green became too much of a task. At that point we received notice of water restrictions - that was the last straw.
We dug up every piece of grass. The photo below was taken after a few month's work has been done and planting the aloes have already started. June 2005.

The aloes - blooming or not - are much prettier than a
half-dead lawn and the bonus is that it needs a lot less work and we do not water at all, the rain is enough.

The scene on this photo above is at the opposite side of the tree. One of the portions planted first. The aloes are from left to right:- Aloe ferox x Aloe arborescens, Aloe mutabilis x Aloe arborescens and Aloe cryptopoda

This planting is next to the tree.

The aloes are Aloe petricola x Aloe globuligemma hybrids which Rudi raised from seeds (far left side on the photo). The close-up below shows more detail. Rudi planted a group of five plants which shows off very well when blooming together. Aloe petricola has an upright raceme and the raceme of Aloe globuligemma is horizontal. The hybrid plants seems to be somewhat confused which pattern to follow, but I am quite happy with that, it gives an interesting effect.

The hybrid come in two colors. Dark orange
opening to yellow and red-pink opening to a creamy white, both with black stamens.

noreply@blogger.com (ericat) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 12:32:00 +0000

Aloe speciosa the aloe that turns it's rosette facing to the north.

The size of the raceme is 43 cm long and 27 cm around.
That is not remarkable for this species but it is very pretty on a young plant with a stem that is not over a meter high.
Aloe speciosa starts off growing upright like any other aloe, but it soon turns the rosette sideways facing north.

Aloe speciosa blooming in the Karoo. This aloe is a tree aloe, these plants would roughly measure between 3 and
5 meter in hight. The record is 6 meter.

noreply@blogger.com (ericat) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:00:00 +0000

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)
dry and shrivelled hanging on to life.

Photo above was taken in March 2009

Photo below was taken in June 2009.

The brick is there to give an idea of the size.

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 further apart

which does not show off the flowers

so well. Note in the background.

It is very difficult to see I happen to

know it is there. The flower buds of

Aloe sabaea. Very faint to the right

of the Aloe rubroviolaceae racemes

Another gem from Yemen.

I will show it another time.

noreply@blogger.com (ericat) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 15:20:00 +0000

This nest of the malachite sunbird Nectarinia famosa can be right in your face and it will still be invisible. We have two sunbirds on a regular basis in our garden in the Western Cape. The malachite sunbird with the male a glittering green all over and the smaller sunbird Nectarinia violacea (also refered to as Anthobaphes violacea) where the male has a glittering red/orange breast. The females of both are little brown jobs. 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 was exactly the height of my face right above the path. I do not know if the they hatched any chicks but the sunbirds must have spent a lot of time building the nest without us noticing them.
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 when we are in the garden, but we must not have anything in our hands. I tried walking with the camera. Fine, they got used to it, but the moment I lift it in their direction, they dash away.
There are more nests in the garden. The juveniles resemble the females I guess we might have seen some without realizing they are "our" birds.
All 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.
--------------- I had to add this September 2009.
I found this little female sunbird nesting on the other corner of the house.

The height of the nest above the ground is obvious by the window in the background - the white is the window pane, not the sky, with the reddish window sill at the bottom. The nest is slightly larger than a man's fist. Now that I know about the nest I make a small detour around the tree, where I would normally pass directly against that branch. It obviously did not bother the birds in building the nest, but I will do my share.

There are more nests in the garden. The juveniles resemble the female I guess we might have seen some.
All 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

planting under the big tree.

noreply@blogger.com (ericat) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 07:23:00 +0000

Like most hobbies there is just as much fun in the getting as in the having. It is exciting to plant small portions of our hobby garden at a time. Afterwards we enjoy the memories how and when we got the plants. 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 as these plants 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 !

but the unexpected is what happens in life

2014

Without warning the tree fell over. No harm done. The tree hit the corner of the roof damaging the gutter, but missed the window.

My daughter and I in front of the tree.

Full grown grandson lying on a sidestem for size.

The same branch now without any leaves or life.

... but life goes on.

noreply@blogger.com (ericat) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 18:51:00 +0000

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
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.

noreply@blogger.com (ericat) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 13:55:00 +0000

Aloe arborescens in habitat.

Aloe arborescens 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.

noreply@blogger.com (ericat) — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 11:02:00 +0000

The cricket known as a Corn Cricket. Acanthoplus discoidalis is a species in the katydid family. The mature cricket like the one which is drinking beer with us is the most often seen in Namibia. They need to eat and mate while there is food in a dry climate.

The black corn cricket is not quite as large as the brown cricket above because it is the immature version of the species and they usually spend their time eating where they feel safe and not walking around looking for a mate.

The damage the insects did to these aloes are not as gruesome as it seems. An aloe has no problem to replace the leaves and it will go dormant and hang on till the rain comes.

noreply@blogger.com (ericat) — Sat, 24 May 2008 12:34:00 +0000

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 flowersand on closer look you can see the flowers
PS. I have only one plant, no seeds.

I built this wall for my pending aloes.
Aloe ballii is hanging on a branch to the right top in a basket . . Aloe hardyii is to the right on the wall and Aloe pendens (plant colour very much like the background) 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).