To date, this has been the best performer of the few Tree Aloe species which can be successfully grown in Ft Lauderdale’s subtropical/t...Read Moreropical 10b climate. The crown reached about 8 feet high in 10 years, until it was felled in 2017 by Hurricane Irma. I searched the Internet and found no information about rooting felled Tree Aloe crowns. I can be easily done, provided the cut is made in the green part of the trunk just under the crown, which will root (my second attempt), and not the old-wood part of the trunk lower down, which will not root, and simply rot (my first attempt). You will loose all the height and years it took to grow that tall, but save the plant. As with all cactus and succulents, allow the cut to dry several days before planting. I used rooting hormone just to be safe. The bright yellow flowers are timed here to the winter solstice, and are attractive to wintering Warblers (apparently both for the nectar, and the insects it attracts. It is apparently not self-fertile. Leaves are a bright blue-green with a blue-silver cast, especially when younger. Aside from Fairchild Tropical Gardens, I am the only one I know of experimenting with, and having success with, a several of the many Tree Aloe species here in FL. Most Tree Aloes apparently prefer a Mediterranean climate.
Another spectacular tree aloe, doing very well here in northern regions of coastal New Zealand, tolerating some frost and growing to asto...Read Morenishing proportions in our wet winters, so dont be afraid to plant this in a high-rainfall area. Will handle very harsh sunlight, sometimes taking on a coppery leaf sheen (we basically have no ozone layer down here so UV levels are off the scale, probably worse than anyone in the US would experience.)
Grows on steep slopes in native habitat, so a great choice for a hillside garden, roots being very tenacious. Birds adore the flowers.
Down here in Dunedin (admittedly at the very edge of their viable range) I have had a lot of trouble getting them beyond the juvenile stage, even in pots. Which is maddening, because they're pretty tough once they're past a certain size. I know of no particular reason for these failures, and have little problem growing (theoretically) more tender tree aloes- vaombe, vaotsanda, rupestris; I have a large barberae in the ground, darn it!
And I'm not alone in this, judging from interweb reports.
If you can grow them, please don't take them for granted.
See some of our plants and gardenalia at The Blackthorn Orphans.com
Majestic tree aloe with profuse, thick, yellow-orange flowers in mid winter. Has tyipcal arching, grooved aloe leaves with light green c...Read Moreoloration. Can be confused with Aloe vanballenii when young, and Aloes angelica and alooides as mature plant. Flowers look different, though. Pretty fast grower and appreciates a lot of water in warmer weather (tolerates water in cold winters, too, in well draining soil). South AFrican native.
Eventually these seem to get too tall, and all eventually fall over. Most of these show signs of root or trunk rot. They either outgrow their food supply, stems get too tall to transport stuff back and forth, or roots rot.
To date, this has been the best performer of the few Tree Aloe species which can be successfully grown in Ft Lauderdale’s subtropical/t...Read More
Another spectacular tree aloe, doing very well here in northern regions of coastal New Zealand, tolerating some frost and growing to asto...Read More
Majestic tree aloe with profuse, thick, yellow-orange flowers in mid winter. Has tyipcal arching, grooved aloe leaves with light green c...Read More