Aloe blooming with bird.

We caught some amazing Aloes in bloom down in Huntington Botanical Gardens at the beginning of the year…wow 2011 is flying away. We weren’t the only ones freaking out on these blooms, so were the birds as pictures above.

Aloe suzannae.

This guy from Madagascar, Aloe suzannae, pops out creamy tan flowers.  Pretty bizarre foliage too.

Aloe in bloom.

Aloe blooming.

Need to get ourselves an Aloe that sends up yellow inflorescence. To date I don’t think we have one yet.

Aloe dorotheae.

Sunset Aloe (Aloe dorotheae) is a low growing, stiff leaf plant that can get a bright reddish orange when grown in the sun.  I believe the more stressed it gets, the deeper the reddish color.

Aloe

Here’s a cute hybrid which has a fun name, Aloe ‘Tingtinkie’.

Aloe ramosissima.

Maiden’s Quiver Tree (Aloe ramosissima) can grow in a small tree about 5 ft tall. Similar to A. dichotoma, the guy is supposed to be more branchy. Like well drain soil and grows in rocky areas in the wild.

Aloe dichotoma.

We just saw this guy, Aloe dichotoma, at Flora Grubb. Another Quiver Tree, which I heard that locals back in the day used to hollow out the trunk and get it wet.  The fibers can hold a lot of moisture and the evaporation causes cooling.  Thus, it became a makeshift refrigerator.

Aloes and Aeoniums.

Ah, love the Aeoniums with the Aloes together. Since it’s been several weeks since these pics were taken, can’t say they are still in bloom mode yet. However, recently we picked up a guy that flowers in the summer and can wait to see if it will shoot out some cool color for us in a couple months.  Hey, if you looking for a fantastic Aloe resource, check out the Institute for Aloe Studies.  They have one of the most complete sites on Aloes.

– Far Out Flora

TEXT

Aloes and Aeoniums.

TEXT