ALOE pruinosa is flowering currently and it is truly a wonderful aloe for every garden.
What makes it so rewarding and sets it apart from its relatives, is that it enjoys semi-shade and its flowers are a pretty, dusty pink instead of the usual yellow, orange and their combinations.
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We refer to Aloe pruinosa as a ‘ground aloe’, meaning that its leaf structure remains at ground level and does not extend on a stem or trunk as do some of the others in the aloe family, such as the multi-stemmed aloe, Aloe arborescens, or that stately giant, Aloe ferox.
Aloe pruinosa is quite a large ground aloe, with its rosette of leaves reaching a width of up to 600mm so when you plant it singly or in groups of uneven numbers, allow some space for it to reach its full width.
And tall – oh my goodness – flowers over a metre tall in the mature specimens (a little less in its natural habitat) but enough to make it quite difficult to photograph unless you stand far away.
The benefits of this gorgeous aloe for the gardener are that you can grow this aloe in full sun or tuck it into semi-shade where it will sit quietly through the heat of summer and, just as the temperature starts to cool, it will delight you with its gorgeous spikes of pendulous, soft pink flowers that appear to have a white waxy bloom on them.
Position Aloe pruinosa in your herbaceous borders, in a succulent garden, as a backdrop to a beautiful container, against a boring wall, under trees that provide a light shade. I have some in my front garden in among the delicate Chlorophytum saundersae (or weeping Anthericum as it was once called) and despite the leaves being slightly obscured, you can’t ignore those tall, gorgeous blooms. It’s an absolute winner.
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And then of course the cherry on the top is that the sunbirds, and the occasional weaver, will come calling almost immediately to extract precious nectar from the tubular flowers.
Aloe pruinosa is classified as vulnerable due to the decline of its natural habitat, so try and include some in your garden.
The seed disperses by wind so you are assured of some babies in a relatively short space of time. It also propagates quite rapidly by producing ‘pups’ on the stem of the plant that can be removed and relocated to other parts of the garden.
Contact the Hillcrest Conservancy chairman, George Victor, on 073 901 3902, e-mail georgevic@telkomsa.net or the website www.hillcrestconservancy.co.za or contact Lindsay Gray at info@schoolofgardendesign.com
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