Hardy Aloes

[JoelR]

Apart from Aloe Aristata and Aloe Striatula are there any other aloes worth trying in permanent outdoor planting? According to "Aloes in South Africa" by Gideon Smith, there are around 2 dozen species that will survive colder than -7C. I've heard of Aloe Mutabilis surviving in Essex for a number of years and have a few seedlings coming up but that seems to be the limit of known UK hardy aloes as far as I can tell. I know Aloe Polyphylla is boderline hardy and I have seedlings of this too. John Henshaw of Croston Cactus in Chorley, Lancs lost his mature plants last winter with perspex overhead protection. Among the ones I'm trying are:

Aloe Reitzii
Aloe Ecklonis (a grass aloe)
Aloe Transvaalensis (already nice looking plants)

I know very little about these species and I don't know of anybody else growing them. A. Ferox & A. Maculata make nice summer bedding plants and Maculata has the added bonus of throwing up pups and flowering while still young.

[Daniel]

Joel, I've tried most of the aloes that stand a chance outside, and apart from the two you have mentioned above that are pretty much hardy, you are best to grow all of the others in pots and to put them in the greenhouse or in the house over Winter. If you leave them in the ground it is inevitable that they will turn to mush at some stage, it might not be the first Winter that gets them but sooner or later the cold and damp of Winter but take them away.

They are some of my favourite plants but having learnt the hard way and lost most of them many times over, they are now purely grown in pots for me.

[Chad]

I think this brings us back to 'hardiness' being about more than minimum tolerable temperature.

Being dry over winter helps, as does winter being only one month instead of our 3 months.

The temperature the next day after a frost getting up to 20C instead of saying below zero all day makes a huge difference too.

Chad.

[David S]

I have a raised bed which I will put a rain shelter over in winter. With the help of a rain shelter I am sure quite a few Aloes can survive the winter. I took offsets from a house plant that I think is Aloe last year. The offsets outside the rain-shelter quickly turned to mush but the ones inside the rain shelter were unaffected.

This years I am experimenting with some new ones.

[JoelR]

If you can overwinter Aloe Vera (assuming that's your aloe) David, could be worth trying A. Polyphylla. Used to be very rare but tissue culture grown plants can be bought for around £10 these days.

[Bob]

My neighbour across the road has, Aloe mitriformis (so I'm led to believe)growing well on a garden wall.



Also flowers every year.

[Nathan]

If you can overwinter Aloe Vera (assuming that's your aloe) David, could be worth trying A. Polyphylla. Used to be very rare but tissue culture grown plants can be bought for around £10 these days.

I had an Aloe vera growing in my window box for a few years, but last winter finished it off

[David S]

If you can overwinter Aloe Vera (assuming that's your aloe) David, could be worth trying A. Polyphylla. Used to be very rare but tissue culture grown plants can be bought for around £10 these days.

I have a lot of Aloe Vera (It keeps producing offsets) however I think this is one Aloe that will not survive outside even under a rain shelter. I may try it now that you have given me the idea. I have just bought a A Polyphylla in the Amulree 50% sale but I do not want to risk losing it. If it produces any offsets I may try it next year.

[JoelR]

A. Polyphylla stays as a solitary rosette but is easily grown from seed when you know how The seeds need to be soaked in water until they germinate which can take several months. Each time a seed germinates, it's potted up and watered every day.

[JoelR]

That Aloe Mitriformis looks amazing. I'll add it to my wish list.

[phil75]

If you can overwinter Aloe Vera (assuming that's your aloe) David, could be worth trying A. Polyphylla. Used to be very rare but tissue culture grown plants can be bought for around £10 these days.

where can i get some of these for a tenner from pal please?

i have one which is around 2.5 years old i think, but would like a few more

ps - been to johns at croston cactus a few times now and bought loads off them, a damn fine place they have there

[palmking]

Aloe Broomii is worth trying -I've taken one undamaged through this last winter-been outside for about 3 years now. Another one I planted a couple of feet away rotted though. Strange, hadn't had time to harden off I reckon - I cover with a plastic mini greenhouse but a cloche or plastic coke bottle cut off would do to protect it, whilst small. They are cold hardy but not so much wet hardy.

My striatula got cut back to the ground this winter but is now multi stemmed and bigger than last year!

Oh Aloe Aristata as you say is bomb proof, no problems there and flowers every year.

Paul.

[palmking]

This is a good shop-ordered plenty from this guy.

Great plants.

http://www.cactusshop.co.uk/acatalog/On ... OE_14.html

Paul .

[Alexander]

Well most of those Aloes are from summer rain areas. So a sunny bone dry winter with cold nights but pleasant sunny days. A far cry from the unreliable wet frosty winters we get uphere...

Alexander

[phil75]

This is a good shop-ordered plenty from this guy.

Great plants.

http://www.cactusshop.co.uk/acatalog/On ... OE_14.html

Paul .

For sure, Ralph has some real nice stuff, well priced too

I have the Aloe Cosmo, but can anyone tell me which others on the link form like a compact rosette type aloe please, as i fancy a few more

cheers