The Succulent and Cactus Lady : Aloe tenuior

About me

🌿 I've been gardening ever since a child, when I spent time with my father in his vegetable garden. But my fascination with Echeverias started in the 1980's, when my father gave me a pot with five Echeverias, which turned out to be E. imbricata. At first I wasn't much interested in them and planted them in some obscure corner of the garden and completely forgot about them. How great was my surprise when, a couple of months later, I noticed that they had spread and made a beautiful display - I was hooked!

Sunday, 29 March 2015

Aloe tenuior

Haworth 1825 (Fence Aloe)
Name: Latin tenuior = "slender"
Pronunciation : AL-oh ten-yoo-ee-or

One of my latest acquisitions is an Aloe tenuior, amazingly delicate for an aloe. This medium-sized Aloe grows from a large, woody rootstock, up to 10 ft tall with lanceolate succulent leaves towards the ends of the branching stems. Aloe tenuior is a rambling aloe which forms a sprawling bush and as this is actually a climbing aloe, it is best planted next to a tree or a fence for support.

The inflorescence is a raceme of tubular yellow flowers. Aloe tenuior var. rubriflora has red flowers.

Native to the Eastern Cape of South Africa where it typically scrambles through thorny bushes or on steep slopes. The leaves are a traditional purgative and used against tapeworms.

Aloe tenuior grows easily from stem cuttings which should be allowed to dry for a few days and then planted directly into the required site. The species grows best where there is adequate drainage, and while it can withstand dry conditions, will perform better with regular watering.

This is going to be my Aloe's first winter and I have no idea how it's going to handle the winter, will just have to wait and see...

Featured Succulent

Echinopsis grows pretty much anywhere. Here in South Africa they can tolerate summer temperatures of 30°C or greater, which is hot enough to spur growth of both Echinopsis pups and their amazing flowers. They also tolerate cold temperatures well during winter months. However, I bring my potted ones inside during hard freezes or their water-filled bodies will freeze as well. Compared to most cacti, Echinopsis bloom fast and furious. They typically begin blooming in spring. Most blooms only last one or two days and they frequently open at night. But it’s common to have several buds on one plant developing at different rates; so a single plant can be in bloom for several weeks. As a general rule, the smaller the diameter of the blooms a Echinopsis species produces, the more blooms the plant produces. Species that produce monster blooms (some over 6” in diameter) tend to have fewer blooms as so much plant energy goes into producing each one. Echinopsis generally begin to produce flowers when they are two or three years old. Echinopsis is a large genus of cacti native to South America, sometimes known as hedgehog cactus, sea-urchin cactus or Easter lily cactus. One small species, E. chamaecereus, is known as the peanut cactus. The 128 species range from large and treelike types to small globose cacti.

A garden requires patient labour and attention. Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or to fulfil good intentions. They thrive because someone expended effort on them. Gardeners are well primed to provide food for birds and animals, but the key to encouraging the widest possible range of wildlife is to think of creating a habitat for creatures to live in. The most important aspect of this is the provision of shelter from the weather and from predators, as well as a place to lay eggs, rear young or hibernate.

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Sunday, 29 March 2015

Aloe tenuior