Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Aloe Hybrid
This aloe is a garden cross of partridge breast aloe and soap aloe, two small, low aloes with white-spotted leaves. Both parents stay about a foot tall, make pups and fill in as low clumps. They are grown in pots, raised planters, rock gardens and tight beds. Both take sun or part shade and need only infrequent water.
Best for: small pots and raised planters, tight beds and walkway edges, and a low clump in a rock garden.
Both parents stay about 1 foot tall and wide. They are used in small spaces, as filler in containers and raised planters, and in tight beds.
Both parents make pups and spread into low clumps. Split the pups off to fill a pot or share them.
The soap aloe parent is grown in rock and cactus gardens in sandy or gravelly soil. Good drainage suits both parents.
Both parents want to be kept on the dry side, so avoid soggy soil. The less hardy parent is rated to about 28°F, so cover it on colder nights.
- Closer group12 in apart
- Looser group18 in apart
After planting, wait a few days to a week before the first drink so any broken roots can heal. Then water it regularly until it roots in, letting the soil dry between drinks.
Both parents want infrequent water and to be kept on the dry side. Water about every 2 weeks in the warm months once the soil has dried, and much less in winter.
It is rated to about 28°F for the less hardy parent. On frosty nights, drape frost cloth or a sheet all the way to the ground, not plastic, and take it off in the morning. A tree canopy overhead also helps.
Cut the dead flower stalks off at the base after bloom. Pull or cut pups when they are a few inches tall, let the cut dry about a week, then plant them.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
What is this aloe a cross of?
It is a garden cross of partridge breast aloe (Aloe variegata) and soap aloe (Aloe saponaria, also called Aloe maculata). Grow it the way you would grow either parent.
How big will it get?
Both parents stay about 1 foot tall and wide, and they spread slowly with pups. The sizes given here are for the parents.
What do the leaves look like?
Both parents have white-spotted leaves. Partridge breast aloe has smooth, banded leaves, and soap aloe has pale green, speckled leaves with brown teeth.
Does it need sun or shade?
Both parents take full sun to part shade. Soap aloe looks better with some afternoon shade, and partridge breast aloe prefers light shade in the Valley.
How often should I water it?
Water it only now and then. Both parents like to be kept on the dry side, especially in winter, so let the soil dry between drinks.
How cold hardy is it?
Partridge breast aloe is rated to about 18 to 25°F and soap aloe to about 28°F. Cover it on colder nights with frost cloth or a sheet.
Does it bring hummingbirds?
Soap aloe flowers draw hummingbirds, as most aloe flowers do. Both parents bloom in late spring.
Can I grow it in a pot?
Yes. Both parents are grown in containers and raised planters. Use a pot with a drainage hole and a gritty mix.
Is it toxic to pets?
Yes. Aloe is toxic to dogs, cats and horses, and chewing the leaves can cause vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy. Soap aloe sap can also irritate skin, so plant it where pets cannot reach it and wear gloves.
Aloe Hybrid for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
This aloe is a garden cross of partridge breast aloe and soap aloe. Both parents are small, clumping aloes with white-spotted leaves. Below is what is known about the parents and how they are grown in the Valley, from size and sun to water, cold and pups.
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Aloe variegata x saponaria cross
This aloe is a garden cross of partridge breast aloe and soap aloe. Both parents come from southern Africa. Both are small, clumping aloes with white-spotted leaves.
Partridge breast aloe, one parent
Partridge breast aloe grows about a foot tall with smooth, triangular leaves banded in white. It flowers pink to red on stalks about a foot tall. It is kept on the dry side.
Soap aloe, the other parent
Soap aloe grows about a foot tall in low clumps with pale green, white-speckled leaves. Its yellow, orange or red flowers sit on stalks up to 2 feet, and hummingbirds visit them.
Sun and water for this aloe in Phoenix
Both parents take full sun to part shade, and some afternoon shade helps in summer. Water infrequently and keep the soil on the dry side.
How cold hardy is this aloe cross?
The parents are rated from about 18°F for partridge breast aloe to about 28°F for soap aloe. Cover it with frost cloth or a sheet on colder nights.
Growing this aloe in pots
Both parents are grown as filler in containers and raised planters. Use a pot with a drainage hole and a gritty mix, and split off pups as it fills.
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