Aloe Striata (Coral Aloe)

Growing up to 45cm tall and 60cm wide this is a medium sized Aloe variety and is completely ‘toothless’ and soft to the touch. 

The leaves have distinct bright orange margins and over summer, curl inwards to protect the inner younger leaves from the harsh sun. In winter through to early spring is when you can expect this Aloe to flower, attracting bees and even local birdlife to its nectar. The inflorescence can grow up to 60cm tall, baring coral red blooms. Once the flowers are spent you can expect at least a handful or more of the pollinated flowers to turn into seed pods. Each pod contains several viable seeds you can sow, giving you more Aloe Striata babies!

This Aloe is the ‘thriller’ in one of my succulent gardens, with its unique architectural appearance it makes a great feature in any garden. It is extremely important not to overwater in winter time, as it can cause rot and fungal diseases. 

The only sure way to remove dead leaves from the underside of your Straita is generally to cut them as close to the stem as possible, the leaves are extremely tough, unlike other Aloes you can usually just pull the leaves straight off the main stem.