Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Safari Orange Aloe
Safari Orange Aloe is a compact garden aloe grown for its tall spikes of tangerine-orange flowers, which come back again and again through the cooler months. It forms a slowly spreading clump of green leaves about 1 to 1.5 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide. It takes full sun or part sun on low water once rooted. It is used in pots, borders, rock gardens and as a bright accent near the patio.
Best for: orange flowers through the cool months, patio pots, borders and edging, and rock gardens on low water.
It is a reliable rebloomer, with most of its flowers from fall through late winter. The tangerine-orange spikes stand about 3 feet tall, well above the leaves, and hummingbirds visit them.
It does well as a container plant on a patio or in a mixed planting. Use a pot with a drainage hole and a gritty cactus mix so water runs straight through.
It is used as an accent, along borders and edging, and in rock gardens. It spreads slowly into a clump from pups at the base, so space plants about 3 to 4 feet apart.
Soggy soil can rot the roots, so give it sandy or rocky soil that drains fast. It is rated to about 25°F, so cover it on colder nights. In full summer sun the leaves can turn reddish when stressed, so filtered afternoon shade helps.
- Massed planting3 ft apart
- Open border4 ft apart
Give it a few days to a week without water after planting. Then water regularly through the first season until new growth shows it has rooted. Once rooted, water about every 2 weeks in the warm months and let the soil dry between drinks.
It takes full sun, but plants in full summer sun take more heat stress. If the leaves turn reddish or purple, check the water and give it filtered afternoon shade.
It is rated to about 25°F for short cold snaps. 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 spent flower stalks as they finish. It slowly spreads into a clump, so divide crowded clumps every few years in early spring.
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.
When does Safari Orange Aloe bloom?
It is a reliable rebloomer. Most of its flowers come in the cooler months, from fall through late winter, and it can put up spikes outside that window too.
What color are the flowers?
The tube-shaped flowers are a bright tangerine orange, packed near the top of tall stalks. The flowers are sterile, so it does not set seed.
How big does Safari Orange get?
About 1 to 1.5 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide as a clump. In bloom the flower spikes reach about 3 feet tall.
How far apart should I plant it?
About 3 to 4 feet apart, center to center. See the Spacing tab for the numbers.
Does it bring hummingbirds?
Yes. Hummingbirds visit the orange tube flowers while it is in bloom.
Does it need full sun or shade?
It takes full sun or part sun, but not full shade. In the Valley, give it some afternoon or filtered shade in summer, since plants in full sun take more heat stress.
How often should I water it?
Water regularly the first season to get it rooted. After that, water about every 2 weeks in the warm months and let the soil dry out between drinks, since soggy soil can rot the roots.
Why are the leaves turning red or purple?
Reddish or purple leaves are a sign of stress from drought or strong sun. Check that it is getting enough water in summer, and move it to filtered shade if it stays that way.
How cold hardy is Safari Orange Aloe?
It is rated to about 25°F for short cold snaps. On colder nights, drape frost cloth or a sheet to the ground, not plastic, and take it off in the morning.
Does it get aloe mites?
It was selected for strong resistance to aloe mite, a pest that troubles many other aloes.
Is Safari Orange Aloe toxic to pets?
Yes. Aloe is toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Chewing the leaves can cause vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy, so plant it where pets do not chew.
Safari Orange or Safari Sunrise?
Both are compact Safari aloes of about the same size. Safari Orange has solid tangerine-orange flowers, while Safari Sunrise has two-tone flowers of deep orange and cream.
Safari Orange Aloe for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Safari Orange Aloe is a compact aloe bred in South Africa for flowering. Its tangerine-orange spikes rise to about 3 feet and rebloom through the cooler months, and hummingbirds visit them. This page covers size, spacing, sun, water, cold and dividing in a Valley yard.
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Safari Orange Aloe, a reblooming garden aloe
Safari Orange comes from an aloe breeding program in South Africa. It is part of the Safari series of compact aloes, grown for flower stalks that keep coming back.
When does Safari Orange Aloe bloom in Arizona?
Most of its flowers come in the cooler months, from fall through late winter. The tangerine-orange spikes stand about 3 feet tall, and hummingbirds visit them.
How far apart to plant Safari Orange Aloe
Space plants about 3 to 4 feet apart, center to center. Each clump grows about 2 to 3 feet wide and 1 to 1.5 feet tall, and it slowly fills in with pups at the base.
Sun and water for Safari Orange in Phoenix
It takes full sun or part sun, and it looks best with some summer afternoon shade in the Valley. Once rooted, water about every 2 weeks in the warm months and let the soil dry between drinks.
Is Safari Orange Aloe cold hardy?
It is rated to about 25°F for short cold snaps. On colder nights, cover it with frost cloth or a sheet draped to the ground, not plastic, and take the cover off in the morning.
Safari Orange Aloe in pots
It does well as a container plant on a patio. Use a pot with a drainage hole and a gritty cactus mix, and let the mix dry between waterings.
Safari Orange vs Safari Sunrise Aloe
Both are compact Safari aloes, about 1 to 1.5 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide. Safari Orange blooms solid tangerine orange, while Safari Sunrise blooms in deep orange with cream.
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.