![]() Away from the ocean and the river, it’s pretty stark.Īloe claviflora, gariepensis and hereroensis all do well here. As you get closer to the Orange River, Aloe gariepensis and Aloe hereroensis both appear. At most you see some scrub Euphorbia, Aloe claviflora and Aloe dichotoma. as far as the west coast is concerned, all exist within 50-60 miles of the ocean. The tremendous variety of Mesembs, Aloes and Crassula, etc. In South Africa, once you leave Springbok and head toward Pofadder and Upington, the variety of succulent plants noticeably diminishes. It’s too hot, too dry and the CAM process seems to fail when the nights stay as hot as they do. Even our native Dudleya and Graptopetum species don’t exist below 4000 feet in elevation. The lower deserts of Arizona experience a kind of heat and aridity that most non-cactus succulents have never had any ability to colonize. ![]() There’s not much zonal denial taking place. You know full well that these plants are unlikely to humor your climate if planted in the landscape, hence you keep them in an appropriate spot. Greenhouse cultivation is similar to owning a fish tank there’s a novelty to it that seems more curious than foolish. You can't grow a saguaro in the landscape in Idaho, so why try grow plants here that don't even come close to thriving? What's the purpose of having a garden of zombies? Art? Denial? Tequila? All?įor those of us old enough to remember her, may the words of Susan Powter ring out, "Stop the insanity!"Īnd yet I grow all of those happily here in the UK with the benefit of a greenhouse. If I give it some extra water, some extra shade, some ice cubes, a personal mister, a heap of mulch, on the shady side of the house, next to the pool, beside the hasn't worked in the past, it doesn't work now and it won't work later. This idea that just because it's a succulent or cactus will enable it to grow here is so inaccurate, it's tiresome. It's sure nice to daydream, especially this time of year. Perhaps it would be a little more Mediterranean.perhaps even a little like South Africa. Just imagine how different Arizona would be if it was an extension of San Diego or if there was a large body of water with a cold current making up the border between Mexico and here. Ooooh, fog, marine layer, cool nights, a higher average humidity, some frost-free locations, no months on end above 100, no nights above 90. Take a moment and think about what the Pacific Ocean does for coastal and semi-coastal California. Why torture the plant and yourself when there are so many species that actually do well here? Why do you need barberae, tongaensis and eminens when you can have a truly stunning dichotoma? Wouldn't it make sense that if those other species did well here, we'd see them all around in the landscapes as commonly as we do in California? I mean, it's not like Aloe barberae is new to cultivation by any stretch of the imagination. This isn't a cool, mild, sometimes damp and foggy place in any way shape or form. Trying to grow Aloe polyphylla in Arizona is as futile as trying to grow Aloe (Kumara) plicatilis here. They had a great selection of both Agaves and other Aloes compared to most nurseries I have been to here in the VotS, I know, nothing compared to the nurseries in Tucson, but in a way good that it is far enough away that going there requires planning otherwise I'd be dropping a lot of money there. However, now a day later, the idea of: what if I could make it work is still playing around in my head. ![]() If it had been a $25 plant I would have just done it, but that idea of almost sure failure made me not want to throw $50 away (given that me selling things on eBay has been a non starter for me forever even though I have a number of things I should just sell given that they are taking up space I'd prefer to use for different plants). If it was just the summer highs to be concerned with I would have probably not walked away without one, but just thinking about the weeks and weeks of 80-85+ night time lows (and not even considering the week or two of 90+ we have been getting recently) and how in that period looking at many aloes, that are way more suited to deal with this than Aloe polyphylla, with a water hose in your hand makes them immediately slump over in a pile of goo, made me not get one.
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