Aloe speciosa - Tilt-Head Aloe - 5 Seed Pack - Indigenous Succulent - Worldwide Shipping, NEW

Aloe speciosa commonly known as Tilt-Head Aloe is a handsome plant having ornamental blue-green leaves with deep pink to light red, jagged leaf margins, and crowded cylindrical flower heads of red buds, opening greenish white in spring-summer. What makes this species easy to distinguish is that the head of the rosette of leaves is almost always tilted to one side. The flowers are rich in nectar, attracting sunbirds, bees & butterflies. The main pollinators are sunbirds. The rosettes of Aloe speciosa are often tilted to one side, to allow the plant to obtain the maximum amount of light. In the southern hemisphere, the tilt is usually towards the north, and in the northern hemisphere, towards the south, but a plant growing in a shady position would tilt its head in the direction that it receives the most light, which is not necessarily the north/south. Aloe speciosa is an attractive aloe with great horticultural potential and is often grown in gardens. Being drought resistant it is an ideal plant for the water-wise garden. More about the Aloe genus below.

Aloes can tolerate long periods of drought, but it is not true that watering should be withheld to obtain optimal growth. Stressed plants are more susceptible to insects and pests. Plants flourish, flower better and are more resistant when given adequate water during the growing season. However, be very cautious not to overwater aloes because they may rot if they stay wet for too long. Adequate drainage is essential. Plant smaller aloes in raised beds and only water them when the top 5cm of soil has dried. Even though there are some species that are challenging to grow, most of the aloes are easy and can readily be grown just about any place in the country. Aloes generally need soils with good drainage and do best in warm climates. When planted in rich soil that are frequently mulched they will do well for many years without interference making them very low-maintenance plants once established. Aloe is a genus in the Asphodeloideae family containing about 600 species of flowering succulent plants. The most common and well known of these is Aloe vera. The genus is mostly native to Africa with about 125 being indigenous to South Africa. About 405 species can be found in Africa while about 45 species are found in the Arabian Peninsula. Socotra has 4 natural species and the Mascarene and other Western Indian Ocean Islands share about 7 species. Madagascar, for its size, has a pretty extensive collection of about 145 species.
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.
For an extensive list of documented Aloe species please see this Wikipedia page.