Page 26 - Dainfern Precinct Living Issue 5 _2023

Gardening
Home front
Aloes are ideal for landscaping an

eternal sunset, and experts from
Ndundulu Aloes in KZN selected
a few to cultivate warmth in the
garden, as well as those that can
be used as living firebreaks.

SUNSET-SCAPING

WITH ALOES

ndigenous aloes include Aloe The following are the top five fire- a showy bi-colour combination in late
suprafoliata, Aloe ferox, Aloe resistant: winter and spring. This very large, slow-
marlothi, Aloe aculeata and Aloe stemming Aloe has thick, dark green
Imicrostigma. Sunbird hybrid Aloes *Aloe ‘Neon Orange’: this is a small, leaves with very decorative large spines
include Aloe ‘Candy Floss’, Aloe ‘Baby tough plant for pots, rockeries or a on the edges;
Blush’, Aloe ‘African Sunset’, Aloe ‘Frosty retaining wall. If allowed to cluster and
Days’ and Aloe ‘Abundance’. given enough space, plants will quickly *Aloe ‘Sun King’ flowers in late winter
grow a secondary rosette, creating a and spring where plants are covered
In addition to sunset-scaping around longer and better flower display; by a canopy of yellow flowers carried
your entire property, planting Aloes on multiple inflorescences. ‘Sun King’
as living firebreaks hosts a variety of *Aloe ‘Octopus’: this is the first large stretches the nectar season and
benefits, including: winter flowering Aloe hybrid with welcomes sunbirds and bees in times
deep yellow flowers. Its tentacle-like of scarcity. Plants soon demand space
*reducing water usage; leaves have a spreading growth style because of the division and re-division of
*assisting to control soil erosion; and another outstanding feature is the the rosette, perfect for open landscaping;
length of the individual flower – it is
*increased food and habitat for wildlife; the hybrid with the longest recorded *Aloe ‘Super Red’ has a flower season
individual flower of all the cultivars in the lasting from late summer to winter, with
*preventing fires from spreading to your collection; masses of outstanding red flowers. The
lawn; and rosette divides or splits when the plant
*Aloe ‘Saturn’ stands out as another is closer to maturity, resulting in an even
*adding to the beauty, colour, textural amazing hybrid, with flower buds that greater flower display. Each rosette
and structural elements of your are initially brick red but change to can produce up to seven branched
garden. yellow as the flowers open, displaying inflorescences.

26 DPL issue 5 2023