Plant Library

Description:

A small clumping selection with short stems, bearing narrow, arching, bright green leaves with white spots and tiny white teeth; erect, branching racemes of tubular orange flowers nearly year-round; a wonderful garden or container accent

Ornamental Features

Johnson's Hybrid Aloe's attractive succulent sword-like leaves remain bluish-green in color with distinctive white spots and tinges of coppery-bronze throughout the year on a plant with an arching habit of growth. It features dainty racemes of orange tubular flowers with yellow throats and green tips rising above the foliage from mid winter to late fall.

Landscape Attributes

Johnson's Hybrid Aloe is an herbaceous evergreen perennial with a shapely form and gracefully arching foliage. Its wonderfully bold, coarse texture can be very effective in a balanced garden composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and usually looks its best without pruning, although it will tolerate pruning. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Spiny

Johnson's Hybrid Aloe is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Johnson's Hybrid Aloe will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more. As an evegreen perennial, this plant will typically keep its form and foliage year-round.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in sandy soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Johnson's Hybrid Aloe is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers and foliage against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.