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Aloe vera

Barbados aloe

AGM plants

AGM plants have been through a rigorous trial and assessment programme. They are:

  • Excellent for ordinary use in appropriate conditions
  • Available to buy
  • Of good constitution
  • Essentially stable in form & colour
  • Reasonably resistant to pests & diseases
RHS Plant Shop from £12.99 Sold by 31 nurseries

  • Other common names Barbados aloe
    Curaçao aloe

    Bitter Aloes

    see more

  • Synonyms Aloe barbadensis
    Aloe perfoliata

  • Family Asphodelaceae

  • Genus Aloe can be mat-forming or shrubby evergreen perennials, with rosettes of fleshy leaves and small tubular flowers in racemes or panicles

  • Details A. vera is an evergreen perennial to 0.6m, forming rosettes of fleshy, narrow, dull green leaves with spiny margins, with long racemes of tubular greenish-yellow flowers 3cm in length in racemes to 90cm in length

  • Plant range SW Arabian Peninsula

Characteristics

  • Foliage Evergreen

  • Habit Tufted

  • Toxicity Ingestion may cause severe discomfort

  • Hardiness

    Hardiness ratings

    All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

    • H1a - Under glass all year (>15C)
    • H1b - Can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
    • H1c - Can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
    • H2 - Tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
    • H3 - Hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
    • H4 - Hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
    • H5 - Hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
    • H6 - Hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
    • H7 - Hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

    H1C

Colour

Sunlight

  • Full Sun

  • Aspect West-facing or South-facing

  • Exposure Sheltered

Soil

  • Sand

    Sand

  • Loam

    Loam

  • MoistureWell-drained

  • SoilSand, Loam

  • pHAcid, Neutral, Alkaline

Size

  • Ultimate height 0.5-1 metres

  • Ultimate spread 0.5-1 metres

  • Time to ultimate height 5-10 years

How to grow

Cultivation Grow under glass in a loam-based potting compost with added extra grit. Water moderately when in growth; very sparingly when dormant. Apply a balanced liquid fertiliser 2 or 3 times in the growing season

Propagation Propagate by seed sown with heat as soon as ripe or from offsets

Suggested planting locations and garden types Patio & Container Plants Mediterranean Climate Plants

How to care

Pruning No pruning required

Pests Can get scale insects and mealybugs

Diseases Generally disease free

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Aloe vera

Barbados aloe

Buy from £12.99 at the RHS Plants Shop

Buy from £12.99 at the RHS Plants Shop

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