ALOE speciosa

Aloe speciosa is a showy Aloe with blue-green foliage with deep pink-red serrated leaf margins that produces dense flower red flower buds maturing to creamy-white with the effect of red and white hooped flowers in spring and summer.

A tall single or multi stemmed Aloe they can reach heights of 3-6 metres in ideal conditions with a habit of rosettes and that always tilt to face the north.

Occurs naturally in the south-central part of the Western Cape province, from near Swellendam to the Little Karoo. It also occurs over a large part of the southern Eastern Cape province as far as the border of the Transkei, South Africa.

Growing notes:

Hardy and easy to grow Aloe’s require little attention other than a bit of a tidy up now and then. 
Extremely drought tolerant in most situations they require no to minimal additional water once established other than natural rainfall. Potted plants will need supplementary water when required during prolonged dry spells.
Adaptable to most soils providing it is well-draining.

Although seed can be sown most of the year in many areas of Australia seed is generally best sown in spring or autumn, avoid the coldest and hottest months of the year. The optimum germination temperature for germination is around 18-24°C

1. Sow seed on a porous seed raising mix and cover with a a sandy mix to a depth of 1-2mm
2. Place in a warm shaded or semi shaded position to avoid dying out.
3. The growing medium should be well draining but should remain damp between watering. Keep moist but not too wet as the seed may rot. Do not let the growing mix completely dry out. 
4. Germination should occur in 14-28 days depending on the temperature and conditions.

General note: Seeds of many plants are dormant and require specific conditions or pre-treatment for germination.
Do not be too hasty to discard seed that does not germinate, seeds will often lay dormant until the conditions are similar to their natural requirements for germination to occur. Containers put to one side will often surprise long after they were discarded.