Coral aloe

Sun

Full sun to light shade; afternoon shade is useful in very hot inland gardens.

Water

Low water needs once established. Water thoroughly, then let the soil dry out; keep much drier in cool weather.

Soil

Sharply drained sandy or gravelly soil. For containers, use a gritty cactus compost and a pot with drainage holes.

Height

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m), with flower stems reaching about 3 ft (0.9 m)

Spread

2-3 ft (0.6-0.9 m)

Flowers

Late winter to spring; coral-red to orange-red tubular flowers in broad, branched clusters.

Foliage

Evergreen. Broad, fleshy, blue-green to grey-green leaves with fine lengthwise lines and smooth, pinkish-red margins. Usually forms a single stemless rosette.

Growth

Slow to moderate

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• Wildlife
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   0.8 ft (0.25 m)

2. After 1 year

   0.9 ft (0.28 m)

3. After 2 years

   1 ft (0.3 m)

4. After 3 years

   1.1 ft (0.33 m)

5. After 5 years

   1.2 ft (0.38 m)

About 8 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Toxic

Growth rate

Slow

• Plant with the crown above the surrounding soil level, away from runoff and standing water.
• Water young plants when the soil has dried; established plants need only occasional watering during prolonged dry spells.
• Use a thin gravel mulch, keeping it clear of the crown; avoid moisture-holding mulch against the leaves.
• Feed container plants lightly once in spring with a dilute cactus fertiliser; garden plants rarely need feeding.
• Move containers into bright, frost-free shelter before cold weather and protect outdoor plants from prolonged winter rain.

Pruning. Cut spent flower stems near their base after flowering. Remove fully dead lower leaves with clean tools, but do not cut back the living rosette.

Spring

Plant or repot once frost risk has passed, using a sharply drained growing medium.

Spring

Give container plants one light feed and gradually acclimatise overwintered plants to outdoor sun.

After flowering

Remove spent flower stems, or leave a few to mature if you want seed.

Summer

Water only after the soil dries; watch newly moved plants for sun scorch.

Autumn

Reduce watering as temperatures fall and move pots under frost-free cover where needed.

Winter

Keep sheltered plants bright and relatively dry; check leaf bases for mealybugs.

• Use a single rosette as a focal point in a broad, well-drained container.
• Repeat plants through a sunny gravel bed with smaller succulents for a clear, architectural rhythm.
• Plant on a raised bank among rocks, where the drainage suits its roots and the flowers stand above the foliage.
• Pair with fine-textured grasses and silver-leaved shrubs in a dry border, leaving room for the broad leaves.

Garden styles it suits: Architectural minimal, Desert modern, Modern Mediterranean, Dry gravel garden, Desert / xeriscape and Modern courtyard.

Plant it with: Blue chalksticks, Rock purslane, Lavender, Santolina, Red yucca and Blue fescue.

Wildlife: Flowers provide nectar for birds and insects. Hummingbirds may visit in the Americas, while honeyeaters may visit in Australia.

• Root or crown rot in wet soil: improve drainage, keep the crown above soil level and stop watering until the growing medium dries.
• Mealybugs in leaf bases: isolate affected pots, remove visible insects and use a labelled insecticidal soap where appropriate.
• Frost damage: move pots to frost-free shelter; leave damaged leaves until cold weather has passed, then remove dead tissue.
• Sun scorch after moving outdoors: introduce stronger sunlight gradually over one to two weeks.

Treat the leaves, especially the yellow latex beneath the skin, as potentially toxic if eaten by cats, dogs, horses or people. Aloe ingestion can cause vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal discomfort; species-specific toxicity information for Aloe striata is limited. Do not use it as an edible or medicinal substitute for aloe vera.

• Soap aloe (Aloe maculata)

  Soap aloe has conspicuous pale leaf spots, sharp marginal teeth and often forms clumps. Coral aloe has unspotted mature leaves with smooth margins.

• Aloe vera (Aloe vera)

  Aloe vera usually has narrower, more upright leaves with toothed margins, produces offsets and commonly bears yellow flowers. Coral aloe has broad, spreading, smooth-edged leaves and coral-red flowers.

The species name striata means striped, referring to the fine lengthwise lines on the leaves, while coral aloe refers to the flower colour.

Propagation. Usually grown from seed, sown in a warm place in a freely draining medium. It generally remains a single rosette, so division is not a dependable method; seed from plants grown near other aloes may produce hybrids.

Accepted botanical name

Aloe striata

Native range

Cape Provinces.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0) and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.