Dry xeric plants..

The one on the right looks like my Aloe vera (which seems to be trying to escape upwards out of it's pot at the moment). It will be nice to have blue sky here again. wet and windy for a week now.

Same family. This one has the common name of "Medusa"..its a small tree in time. Or a mid sized tree in great time- about 40'.

They look great! It's amazing they're doing so well with all the rain.

These tree Aloes,Andy are water lovers. The more they get,the better they look. Both also can take cool weather very well.
I see my Aloe barbarae is growing right now- its a three trunk plant from the ground and the largest of those is just now branching.
They do get mealys. I had to use idontoclod on the Medusa it got so severe.

I know Aloe likes water. I wouldn't consider any Aloe, water-lovers, though.

I didn't know they got so many mealybugs.

Oh yes- these come from areas much wetter then our usual rainfalls. Aloe barbarae gets up 60" of rain where it grows in Canyons and ravines. It also gets huge there, 60 - 70+ feet.
"Medusa" also is from a 60" rainfall warm subtropical habitat in coastal forests. Maybe liking more open areas then A.barbarae.Its native to habitat where some plants you have in San Diego gardens are grown. Ficus trichopoda,GBOP,Phoenix reclinata.

Anyways- the more I water them and some others like Aloe plicitalis (50" of rain in habitat) the faster they grow. The good side is..they can take much less and look good if not fast growing.

I never knew that. I always thought of them as being native to very dry areas of Africa. Maybe that's why the ones here look better than ever! lol!

I have a feeling the really big ones in soucal- like at the Huntington are given regular waterings. I have to question those who say "I never give mine summer water"..and they have a big healthy plant. They are getting water from somebody.
Here's a link Andy because I think you would get a kick out of seeing so much of what you can grow down there growing together in a natural habitat.

http://pza.sanbi.org/aloidendron-tongaensis

The large Aloe barbarae in the dry garden in Balboa Park never receive water (except for the rains this year) and they always looks flawless).

It's an interesting article. It is very surprising how much rain Aloe tongaensis receives in its native habitat.

Hey Andy- "The Cloudforest" board closed up. Gone. Internet plant boards exploded in the early 2000's are slowly dying off. Facebook or just time. People's gardening Gung ho in the 30's changes 20 years later.

That's strange! I guess there's still a lot out there on the internet, though.

I don't think gardening is going away anytime soon. It's still very popular here...and now that the drought is over we can plant again :>))