Aloes are very popular and some of the most rewarding plants to cultivate. They make excellent accent plants owing to their often strange and inspiring architectures, as well as the bright flowers that offset the grey-green leaves. They are also very suitable as container plants and small aloes can be used very effectively as border plants at the edge of a bed. Although aloes are most often included in rockeries, their application in horticulture is not limited to this feature and they can be used in almost any setting and in conjunction with most common garden plants. Their natural adaptation to harsh and often arid climates makes aloes outstanding subjects for the water-wise garden. Aloe is a genus in the Asphodeloideae family containing about 600 species of flowering succulent plants. Aloes are sometimes confused with Agaves. Contrarily to Agaves, Aloe leaves contain a gel like sap. Another difference is that Aloes don’t die after blooming as most Agaves do.

Aloe gariepensis commonly known as Gariep River Aloe is frost resistant in dry conditions. Aloe gariepensis grows in the vicinity of the Orange River where it flows through the Northern Cape. That is, dry arid conditions in summer and some frost in winter. As to frost – the plants grow on slopes, the cold air flows over the plants for a few hours only. Aloe gariepensis adjust fairly well to inland conditions in gardens. Give this plant good drainage and little water. Plant Aloe gariepensis against a slope with good drainage where rainfall is high. This aloe is stemless, the height of the rosette is just over 1 meter. Aloe gariepensis sends out offsets to form small groups. The blue-green leaves of this plant are narrow with small reddish teeth along the margins and the leaves turns red in the summer in full sun. The variety on offer here bears greenish flowers which attracts birds to the garden.