Winter-Blooming Aloes Put on a Spectacular Show

At a time of year when flowers are scarce and color in the garden is hard to come by, winter-blooming aloes rush to the rescue, wowing us with their explosion of fiery, gorgeous blooms. Aloes have many other advantages in the garden—drought-tolerance, versatility, and wide variety within the genus, to name a few—but show-stopping winter flowers are certainly one of their best assets.

We grow dozens of aloes, many of which are winter bloomers. Here’s a little sampling of our favorites. View our full availability list here.

Aloe vaombe (above) is a tree aloe that can grow up to twelve feet tall. In the winter its leaves take on a rich red tone to complement the crimson flowers. Hummingbirds love this plant (and all blooming aloes!).

Aloe arborescens (above and below) produces large torch-like blooms that make a dramatic focal point in a garden. As a mature, many-branched shrub, this aloe has another magical talent: it is fire-retardant, an excellent choice for gardens in wildfire-prone regions.

Aloe striata (above) has flowers that grow in star-like clusters, with a peachy hue that’s echoed in the soft pink border on the leaves. Striata will tolerate slightly colder temperatures than most aloes, down to 20-25 degrees.

Aloe arborescens x ferox ‘Tangerine’ is an unusual hybrid with massive, showy orange blooms.

Aloe ‘Blue Elf’ is a vigorous aloe that will tolerate more shade than other aloes and has a nice pale blue tinge to the leaf. Because of its clumping growth habit. it makes a great ground cover.

Check out our availability list to see which aloes are ready for you, and contact our team for a list of what’s blooming.

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