Pretty Aloes for Your Containers

Small Aloes, Dwarf Aloes

Pretty Aloes, Small Aloes, Aloes for Containers, Aloes for Pots

Belonging to the Asphodelaceae family, Aloe is a genus of about 450 species of succulent plants. Native to sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, and Arabia, Aloes are evergreen succulents with usually spiny leaves arranged in neat rosettes, and spectacular, candle-like inflorescences bearing clusters of brilliant yellow, orange or red, tubular flowers. They exist in a wide range of sizes, colors and offer an amazing array of leaf shapes. Some make incredible landscape specimens, creating year-round interest. Smaller Aloe varieties are ideal to add drama, texture and color to containers. Easy care, waterwise, they brighten up the dull winter and are fascinating.

In gardens with limited space or where the growing conditions might not be optimal to grow these striking beauties, try growing them in containers. Containers also offer the advantage of finding the right amount of sun or shade, and make it easy to shelter plants from too much rain or cold. While most aloes can be grown in a container, smaller species are safer picks. The larger varieties can start out containerized but will rapidly outgrow their pots and should be moved to the landscape, depending on the species, where they enjoy free root run.

If your heart is still set about planting a large aloe variety in a container, be aware that you will have to do regular root pruning (at least once a year). When your aloe emerges from dormancy, remove it from the container, wash the roots and cut them in half and then repot.

Guide Information

Hardiness	8 - 11
Plant Type	Cactus & Succulents
Genus	Aloe
Exposure	Full Sun, Partial Sun
Season of Interest	Spring (Early, Mid, Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall, Winter
Height
Spread
Maintenance	Low
Water Needs	Low
Soil Type	Loam, Sand
Soil pH	Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage	Well-Drained
Characteristics	Showy
Tolerance	Drought, Deer, Rabbit
Attracts	Bees
Landscaping Ideas	Patio And Containers

Pretty Aloes for Your Pots and Containers

Aloe ‘Crosby’s Prolific’

A prolific miniature Aloe, Aloe ‘Crosby’s Prolific’ is an evergreen succulent with attractive, stemless rosettes of lance-shaped, deep green leaves lined with long, translucent teeth along their edges. Its fleshy leaves take on red hues when exposed to bright light. Spikes of bright orange, tubular flowers are borne in profusion atop flowering stalks, 18 in. tall (45 cm), brightening up the garden. This Aloe offsets readily to form a large clump. It is easily propagated from cuttings.

Hardiness	9 - 11
Exposure	Full Sun
Height	6" - 1' (15cm - 30cm)
Spread	9" - 2' (23cm - 60cm)

Aloe aristata (Torch Plant)

A robust and visually appealing succulent, Aloe aristata (Torch Plant) forms compact rosettes with fleshy, incurved leaves adorned with tufted tips. The leaves display a mix of pale green and dark green hues, with scattered white spots and raised spines. In winter, vibrant orange-red flowers in conical clusters bloom abundantly, adding a cheerful touch to the garden. With its clumping growth habit and well-shaped rosettes, this Aloe is well-suited for container gardening.

Hardiness	8 - 12
Exposure	Full Sun, Partial Sun
Height	8" - 1' (20cm - 30cm)
Spread	8" - 1' (20cm - 30cm)

Aloe brevifolia (Short-Leaf Aloe)

Cherished for its appealing foliage, Aloe brevifolia (Short-Leaf Aloe) is a perennial succulent that forms a carpet of decorative rosettes. The fleshy leaves are triangular, shifting from pale blue in light shade to rosy-pink and golden-yellow in full sun. Adorned with white spines, the leaves create an attractive display. In late spring, abundant orange tubular flowers emerge, adding vibrant color to the garden. This Aloe readily offsets, forming a tight colony.

Hardiness	8 - 11
Exposure	Full Sun
Height	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)
Spread	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)

Aloe cameronii (Red Aloe)

Regarded as one of the most attractive foliage Aloes, Aloe cameronii (Red Aloe) is an evergreen succulent with upright stems of open rosettes. The fleshy, gracefully curving leaves are a rainbow of colors ranging from green to a rich coppery red, depending on sun and water. In late fall to early winter, spikes of bright orange-red flowers are borne in profusion above the foliage, brightening up the garden. This Aloe provides a colorful focal point in the xeriscape. It is easily propagated from cuttings.

Hardiness	9 - 12
Exposure	Full Sun
Height	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)
Spread	2' - 4' (60cm - 120cm)

Aloe dorotheae (Sunset Aloe)

Aloe dorotheae (Sunset Aloe) is an eye-catching evergreen succulent with bright green rosettes that turn glossy red in full sun. The fleshy leaves are adorned with white flecks and prominent teeth. In winter, it produces spikes of greenish-yellow tubular flowers, adding vibrancy to the garden. Perfect for groundcover, themed gardens, or containers.

Hardiness	10 - 11
Exposure	Full Sun
Height	6" - 1' (15cm - 30cm)
Spread	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)

Aloe nobilis (Golden Toothed Aloe)

Aloe nobilis (Golden Toothed Aloe) forms vibrant rosettes, with green leaves turning orange in sun. Creamy teeth edges glow when backlit. Summer brings bright orange flowers atop 2-foot stems, creating a bold display. Offsetting profusely, it forms large colonies, ideal for colorful ground cover in low-water gardens.

Hardiness	9 - 11
Exposure	Full Sun
Height	6" - 1' (15cm - 30cm)
Spread	1' (30cm)

Aloe polyphylla (Spiral Aloe)

Aloe polyphylla, known as Spiral Aloe, is a captivating succulent with foliage arranged in a perfect spiral pattern. The gray-green leaves form a tight rosette that spirals either clockwise or counterclockwise. Each rosette can have up to 150 leaves with white to pale-green spines along the edges. While it rarely flowers, when it does, red to salmon-pink tubular blooms emerge on a branching spike above the foliage in spring and early summer.

Hardiness	9 - 12
Exposure	Full Sun
Height	1' (30cm)
Spread	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)

Aloe rubroviolacea (Arabian Aloe)

Aloe rubroviolacea, also known as Arabian Aloe, is a stunning evergreen succulent that forms rosettes of thick, arching leaves. The leaves are blue-green in partial shade and turn purple in full sun, intensifying to violet-red hues in winter. It produces dense spires of red flowers atop unbranched stalks in winter, creating a spectacular display.

Hardiness	9 - 11
Exposure	Full Sun
Height	2' - 3' (60cm - 90cm)
Spread	4' - 6' (120cm - 180cm)

Aloe striata (Coral Aloe)

Aloe striata, also known as Coral Aloe, is a frost-hardy succulent with broad, flat leaves that turn pink in full sun or blue-gray in the shade. It produces clusters of brilliant coral flowers on tall stems in late winter to early spring. This Aloe can form small colonies through offsets around the base.

Hardiness	9 - 11
Exposure	Full Sun, Partial Sun
Height	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)
Spread	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)

Aloe vanbalenii (Van Balen’s Aloe)

Aloe vanbalenii, commonly known as Van Balen’s Aloe, features stemless rosettes of long, twisting, and curling leaves that resemble an octopus. The leaves are bright green with copper-red edges in shade, turning orange or dark red in full sun. It produces slender spikes of yellow to orange-yellow tubular flowers from winter to early spring, attracting nectar-seeking birds and insects. This colony-forming succulent makes a stunning focal point in sunny borders or containers.

Hardiness	9 - 11
Exposure	Full Sun, Partial Sun
Height	2' - 3' (60cm - 90cm)
Spread	3' - 4' (90cm - 120cm)

Aloe vera (Barbados Aloe)

Aloe Vera is a versatile and hardy succulent, well-suited for both indoor and outdoor environments. Known for its medicinal properties, it features fleshy, water-storing leaves that are useful for skin care and minor burns. Indoors, it prefers bright, indirect sunlight and minimal watering, making it a popular choice for home decor. Outdoors, it thrives in warm, sunny climates, adding a drought-resistant, low-maintenance element to gardens. Its ease of care and health benefits make Aloe Vera a favored plant among gardeners and health enthusiasts.

Hardiness	10 - 12
Exposure	Full Sun
Height	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)
Spread	2' - 3' (60cm - 90cm)

Planting Aloes in Pots and Containers

Plant your aloe in clay or terra cotta containers with drain holes in the bottom. The drain holes will ensure the soil does not stay wet for too long.
Aloes grown in containers need a soil that will dry out slowly but offer good drainage. Use a mixture of 4 parts organic-based cactus mix, 2 parts pumice and 1 part grit.
Make sure you do not plant your aloe to deep. Dig a hole no deeper than the depth of the root ball. Plant your aloe so that the bottom leaves are slightly above the soil line.
Provide plenty of light but protect your aloe from hot, scorching sun. As a general rule, succulents do not need more than 3-4 hours of direct sun daily.
Aloes need supplemental water to thrive. Most species should be watered once a week during the summer and then less for lower temperatures during spring and fall. In the winter, depending on cold and humidity, container plants should be watered about once a month. Keep water off the leaves if your plant is in full sun. The water drops could become magnifying glasses, causing burns on the leaves.
Feed your aloe with a liquid fertilizer very two weeks during the active growth period. Do not give your plant fertilizer during the winter.
Elevate your container with pot feet so that air can circulate underneath, and ants or slugs do not penetrate through the drain holes. Avoid using a saucer where the water would collect and soak back up into the soil, provoking root rot.
Repot your aloe when it gets pot-bound. When the container is filled with roots, your plant cannot absorb properly water and nutrients. Repotting your aloe with fresh soil and a bigger container will ensure healthy growth.

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While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.