Plant Care Library

Description:

Beautiful rosettes of succulent, toothed, sword shaped turquoise-green leaves, that flush pink in full sun; produces erect, branched racemes of tubular red-orange flowers with yellow tips in winter; a wonderful garden or container accent

Ornamental Features

Dwala Aloe features dainty racemes of red tubular flowers with orange overtones and yellow tips rising above the foliage from mid winter to early spring. Its attractive large succulent sword-like leaves remain bluish-green in color with showy powder blue variegation and tinges of pink throughout the year.

Landscape Attributes

Dwala Aloe is an herbaceous evergreen perennial with an indistinguished habit of growth. 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

Dwala Aloe is recommended for the following landscape applications;

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

Planting & Growing

Dwala Aloe will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity extending to 3 feet tall with the flowers, with a spread of 3 feet. 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 should only be grown in full sunlight. 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 species is not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division.

Dwala Aloe is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.