Monday, October 4, 2010

Soap Aloe blooms

The bloom stalk of the Soap Aloe (Aloe maculata) has reached a height of four feet.  And recently, the flowers finally opened.


The multi-branched stalk has clusters of red/green flowers at the end of each section.


This is the plant's second bloom of the year, and the stalk does not seem to be as profuse as its first one (but I'm not complaining!).



As the evening sun sets, it peaks through the upper canopy and highlights the flower clusters.




And, even better, the other large Soap Aloe in the bed is producing its first ever bloom stalk.  So hopefully I'll soon have them both in bloom.  


And that will be pretty special.


10 comments:

  1. I can just imagine your joy! Those shots with the sun shining on the blooms are gorgeous.

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  2. Color me jealous. Mine was about to bloom when I bought it and has produced dozens of babies since but only bloomed the one time.

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  3. I have two of these in big clay pots on either side of a picture window. They usually take turns blooming, first one and then the other. Only once this year did they bloom simultaneously. I really like your photo of the setting sun on the blooms. Mine only get the harsh mid-day sun.

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  4. I only get one showing a year on mine. Do you cut them back after flowering or treat them in any special way?

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  5. Cat: Thanks - they are fun to see with the sun highlighting them.

    Danger: They certainly are prolific pup machines!

    Grower: This will be my first dual bloom - I'm interested to see how they look together.

    Paul: This is the first time I've had one produce a second stalk in the same year; no special treatment - I simply cut off the stalk once all the blooms completely fade.

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  6. What a striking specimen. The color of the blooms is amazing. It looks like a Texas sunrise. Love your photos--they are great!

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  7. Morning: Thanks - the somewhat muted tones of the blossoms appeals to me. Its one of those flowers better appreciated up close.

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  8. Beautiful!
    We have a lot of aloes back at home, I guess you get a lot of hummingbirds too

    ps: thanks for the comment on my blog

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  9. How do you get them to bloom? We had one bloom once, but have never been able to get one to do it again.

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    1. I'm not doing anything special, so I assume they like their conditions. Mine only receive dappled sun, and I've seen others in full sun bloom more than mine - so possibly yours aren't getting enough sun? Mine got hammered by the 2014 winter freezes, so the remnants are small little things growing back. So I'll likely have no blooms for a couple of years.

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