Daily Dose Blogger Bios
Bloomin' 2007
Here we are, another year gone, and a fresh one ready to take us who knows where. I hope we all have fabulous adventures this year, and that we have the time to notice the beauty wherever it is. This morning, I noticed the beauty of the clear light flooding my back patio, silhouetting the grasses and the aloe blooms. For me, the new year always begins with the aloes - during the holidays I'm usually too busy to kick back and get an eyeful of my garden, but the first week of January I start counting the bloom spikes. Right now, I have 17 spikes on assorted aloes in various stages of blossoming. The aloes will be blooming from now until March/April, when my giant Aloe marlothii, Willard, sends up his deep orange candelabra. While the aloes are blooming, their succulent leaves usually take on a reddish tinge. It's all very dramatic. I'll snap some beauty shots of them as the magic unfolds...
Could you provide some sources for aloes? I really love the way they look, but we don't have great local resources for them. I'm in the gulf coast z8b. Willard is cool!
Thanks,
JR
Could you provide some sources for aloes? I really love the way they look, but we don't have great local resources for them. I'm in the gulf coast z8b. Willard is cool!
Thanks,
JR
Willard is pretty cool, isn't he? (I know people must think it's dorky that I use pronouns when referring to plants - but I also put hats on my dogs. I embrace the dork in me) I love the big aloes - and I'm always expanding my collection. You'll have an easy time of it with aloes on the gulf coast - just plant them a little high and mulch with gravel. Humidity is okay, but wet isn't - Willard has black spots on his leaves where he got water damaged during a very rainy winter (I should have dried off his leaves) Check out www.gosucculent.com and Daniel's Specialty Nursery at http://danielscactus.hypermart.net/indexin.html - they have an amazing selection of aloes. My personal favorites are Aloe marlothii, Aloe arborescens, Aloe striata, Aloe ferox, and Aloe plicatilis - but all are great. Since you'll be getting them mailed, they'll start small, but be patient! Before you know it you'll have big aloes and bloom spikes every winter! Thanks for commenting, and keep visiting ...
Thanks for the help. More money going to more plants -- ah, that's the way things should be. Last year it was salvias ...
I hear you! With me, last year was the year of the Euphorbia...