Outdoor Dream Builders

ROC #343460

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Cape Aloe

Name: Cape Aloe
Brand: Outdoor Dream Builders

Aloe ferox

A towering South African aloe whose fiery orange-red winter blooms draw hummingbirds and create a lush oasis feel.

Hardy to about 25°F, USDA 9-11; a low-desert aloe with better cold tolerance than most.

AMWUA Notes

Drought tolerant aloe delivering winter hummingbird nectar on little water.

Care Guide

💧Watering

Water every 2 weeks in the warm season and monthly in winter; provide excellent drainage.

✂️Pruning

Remove spent bloom spikes and dried lower leaves; the persistent skirt of old leaves can be left or trimmed.

🌱Fertilizing

Optional light spring feeding.

🛡️Pests

Aloe mite, scale and borers can occur; inspect the crown regularly.

☀️Seasonal Notes

Hardier than most aloes, but protect from hard frost below 25°F; fiery orange-red flower spikes light up winter for hummingbirds.

Soil, Feeding & Propagation

🪨Soil

Fast-draining gritty soil or decomposed granite; low organic matter

💧Drainage

Needs sharp, fast-draining soil.

🌱Nutrient Needs

Low feeder.

🌰Propagation

Seed (single-trunked; rarely offsets)

📐Spacing

3 ft

🌳Roots & Placement

Shallow, non-invasive roots; minor leaf-margin teeth, so keep off tight paths

Placement Tips

•Feature as a single-trunk specimen in a hummingbird or oasis garden.
•Give it 3 ft of room.
•Plant in fast-draining soil in full sun.
•Light afternoon shade prevents scorch in extreme inland heat.

Features

Towering orange-red flower spikesHummingbird magnetTropical oasis feelSingle trunk rosette

Best Uses

SpecimenHummingbird gardenTropical-style landscape

Ecological Value

Attracts

hummingbirds

Companion Plants

succulent

Dawe's Aloe

Aloe dawei

A bold, large-scale aloe that commands attention with its impressive rosette and cheerful yellow flower spikes.

Very Low Waterpartial shade

succulent

Red Yucca

Hesperaloe parviflora

One of the toughest and most rewarding desert plants, sending up arching coral-red flower spikes that hummingbirds adore.

Very Low Waterfull sunPool Safe

accent

Native

Ocotillo

Fouquieria splendens

An unmistakable desert icon whose thorny canes erupt with fiery red-orange blooms that hummingbirds cannot resist.

Very Low Waterfull sun

shrub

Native

Chuparosa

Justicia californica

A large Sonoran Desert native shrub with fragrant orange-red flowers that attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds in winter and spring.

Low Waterfull sunPool Safe

Quick Stats

Water NeedsVery Low (Xeric)

Sun Exposurefull sun

Mature Size8 ft H × 3 ft W

Growth Rateslow

Maintenancelow

HardinessUSDA 9-11

FoliageEvergreen

Drainagesharp, fast-draining

Bloom SeasonWinter-spring

Bloom ColorOrange-red

Litter Levellow

Thornssmall

Native RegionSouth Africa

Design Styles

desert moderntropical oasismediterranean

Include in Your Project

Love Cape Aloe? Our landscape team sources from wholesale nurseries and can incorporate it into your design.

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Use this care guide to maintain your Cape Aloe. Questions about your landscape? Reach out anytime.

Data from 2024 AMWUA “Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert” guide.