Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Christmas Carol Aloe
Christmas Carol Aloe is a compact aloe with dark green leaves trimmed in bright red and covered in raised crimson bumps. The red color gets stronger with more sun. It forms clumps about 8 to 12 inches tall and wide, a good size for pots and borders. Pink to red flowers bloom from fall into winter. Pricing and available sizes on request.
Best for: pots and borders, small beds with afternoon shade in summer, and red color through the winter.
Its dark green leaves are trimmed in red and dotted with crimson bumps. The color is strongest in bright light, especially late in summer.
It forms clumps about 8 to 12 inches tall and wide. That size suits patio pots, borders and small beds.
Pink to red tube flowers bloom from fall into winter, and hummingbirds visit them.
It is rated to about 25°F, so cover it on colder nights. In a bed, faster-growing plants can crowd it out.
Hold off a few days to a week after planting, then water until new growth shows it has rooted. After that, water about every 2 weeks in the warm months and let the soil dry.
It takes full winter sun, but in summer it looks best with filtered or afternoon shade. Leaves that turn red or purple are a stress sign, so check sun and water.
It is rated to about 25°F. On colder nights, drape frost cloth or a sheet to the ground, not plastic, or move a pot under cover.
Cut each flower stalk at the base once it dries. Divide crowded clumps in spring and replant the pups.
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.
How big does Christmas Carol Aloe get?
It forms clumps about 8 to 12 inches tall and wide, with leaves about 6 inches long.
How do I get the most red color?
Give it more sun, since the red trim and bumps are brightest in bright light, but in the Valley summer some afternoon shade keeps it from burning.
When does it bloom?
From fall into winter, with pink to red tube flowers on stalks above the leaves.
How cold hardy is it?
It is rated to about 25°F. On colder nights, drape frost cloth or a sheet to the ground, or move a pot under cover.
How often should I water it?
Water when the soil is completely dry. Water less in the cool months, since soggy soil can rot the roots.
How fast does it grow?
It grows at a slow to moderate pace, so it stays compact in a pot for years.
Does it attract hummingbirds?
Yes. Hummingbirds visit its tube flowers in the cool season.
Does it die after it blooms?
No. Unlike most agaves, aloes keep living after they flower. Just cut the dry flower stalk off at the base.
Is it toxic to dogs and cats?
Yes. Aloe is toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Chewing the leaves can cause vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy, so keep pets from chewing it.
Christmas Carol Aloe for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Christmas Carol Aloe is a compact, clumping aloe known for red-trimmed, bumpy leaves. Below is what to expect on size, color, sun, water, cold, flowers and pets in a Valley yard.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
Christmas Carol Aloe in Phoenix
Give it bright sun for red color, with some afternoon shade in summer. It is rated to about 25°F.
How big does Christmas Carol Aloe get?
It forms clumps about 8 to 12 inches tall and wide, a good size for pots.
Why is my Christmas Carol Aloe green?
The red color gets stronger with more sun. In low light the leaves stay mostly green.
When does Christmas Carol Aloe bloom?
From fall into winter, with pink to red tube flowers.
Watering Christmas Carol Aloe
Water when the soil is completely dry, and less in the cool months.
Is Christmas Carol Aloe toxic to pets?
Yes. Aloe is toxic to dogs, cats and horses if chewed.
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.