Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Aloe wickensii
Aloe wickensii is a medium-sized South African aloe with upright, curved grey-green leaves edged in small reddish-brown teeth. It forms a rosette about 2 to 3 feet tall and wide. In winter its branched stalks carry red buds that open yellow, so each spike shows two colors, and hummingbirds visit them. It suits a dry bed or rock garden as a winter color accent.
Best for: red and yellow winter flowers in a dry bed or rock garden, a winter stop for hummingbirds, and a medium grey-green accent.
Branched stalks carry red buds that open to yellow from the bottom up, so each spike shows two colors at once. The show comes in the winter months.
Hummingbirds visit the tube flowers while it blooms through the winter months. Plant it where you can watch them from a window or patio.
It grows as a rosette about 2 to 3 feet tall and wide, usually single but sometimes clustering. Plant it in a dry bed or rock garden in full sun or light shade.
It rests in winter and needs to stay dry then, so give it soil that drains fast. It is rated to about 20°F, so cover it on colder nights.
- Closer group2 ft apart
- Looser group3 ft apart
After planting, wait a few days to a week before the first drink so broken roots can heal. Then water regularly until it roots in, letting the soil dry between drinks.
Give it occasional water in summer, about every 2 weeks once rooted, and let the soil dry between drinks. Keep it dry in winter, when it rests.
It is rated to about 20°F. On frosty nights, drape frost cloth or a sheet all the way to the ground, not plastic, and take it off in the morning.
Cut the dead flower stalks at the base once the winter bloom finishes. It usually stays a single rosette, so there are few pups to manage.
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.
Is Aloe wickensii the same as Aloe cryptopoda?
It is now often included in Aloe cryptopoda. The form sold as wickensii is known for its two-tone red and yellow flowers.
How big does it get?
It grows about 2 to 3 feet tall and wide. It usually stays a single rosette but can form clusters, so leave it a little room.
When does it bloom?
It blooms in winter, when branched stalks carry red buds that open to yellow flowers. Leave the stalks up until the flowers fade, then cut them off.
Does it bring hummingbirds?
Yes. Hummingbirds visit its tube flowers in the cool season, so plant it where you can see them.
Does it need full sun?
It takes full sun to light shade. In the Valley, plant it where it gets some afternoon shade in summer.
How often should I water it?
Water it about every 2 weeks in summer once it is rooted in, and let the soil dry between drinks. Keep it dry in winter, when it rests.
How cold hardy is it?
It is rated to about 20°F. Cover it with frost cloth or a sheet on colder nights, not plastic.
Does it do well in Phoenix?
Yes. It grows in low desert gardens in Phoenix and Tucson when it gets good drainage and a dry winter.
Is it toxic to pets?
Yes. Aloe is toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Chewing the leaves can cause vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy, so keep pets from chewing it.
Aloe wickensii for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Aloe wickensii is a medium South African aloe now often grouped with Aloe cryptopoda. It is grown for two-tone winter flowers that open red and fade to yellow. Below is what to expect in a Valley yard, from size and sun to water, cold and flowers.
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Aloe wickensii, a two-tone winter aloe
Aloe wickensii comes from northern South Africa. It is now often grouped with Aloe cryptopoda. Its flowers open red and turn yellow on the same spike.
How big does Aloe wickensii get?
It grows about 2 to 3 feet tall and wide. Most plants stay a single rosette of upright grey-green leaves.
When does Aloe wickensii bloom?
Its bloom comes in winter, when the branched stalks carry red buds that open yellow from the bottom up. Hummingbirds visit the flowers while they last.
Watering Aloe wickensii in Arizona
Give it occasional water in summer, about every 2 weeks once rooted. Keep it dry in winter, when it rests.
Is Aloe wickensii cold hardy?
It is rated to about 20°F. Cover it with frost cloth or a sheet on colder nights, draped to the ground.
Sun for Aloe wickensii in Phoenix
It takes full sun to light shade. Some afternoon shade in summer helps most aloes in the Valley.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.