other aloe - June 9th, 2006 at 12:04 PM
Hi, all. I'm an aloe nut . I grow a lot of them and IMHO A. Vera is one of the least pretty, though the most accessable. If anyone wants to try some others, I'd sugest A. bellatula, brevifolia, broomii, fleurentiniorum, vacillans. There are so many more. My bella is almost always in bloom and sets seed with anything I cross it with. A. variegata is nice, too, blooms often, but wants a LOT of sun to be happy. My brevifolia has never bloomed (had it 3 years) but offsets a lot and makes a nice contrast to vera. All these will stay 'house size.' Some are trees. Here are two NFP sites where you can get them and many more, with lots of info about the genera. Don't limit yourselves!!!