| There is something nice and
not so nice in all seasons. Our winters are wet, but mild with brightly colored
wild flowers. Welcome! new visitors to our blog. We are in the south western province of South Africa. Winter is in the middle of the year. Aloes recover their full splendor very quickly once the rain starts. This is Aloe rubroviolaceae from Yemen a few weeks ago.
The brick is there to give an idea of the size. This photo was taken in March 2009 and the photo below was taken in June 2009. What a difference the rain makes!
Why not water the aloes year round? We have water restrictions but that is not the main reason - aloes must have their natural dry cycle. Aloes that are watered and grow in shade tend to become soft. Insects, snails, fungus and bacteria will quickly find a spot to break the skin and damage - if not kill - the plant. The leaves grow long and sloppy and the flower stalk grows longer too, with the flowers further apart which does not show off so well. Note in the background. The flower buds of Aloe sabaea. Another gem from Yemen. I will show it aanother time.
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