Can you guess what plants these roots belong to?

[AllanA]

I have seen a question on here, that asked :- "could these be grown outdoors in the UK"?

[Liz M]

Taking into account what you grow, they are either small cacti or Sempervivums. If I had to say one or the other, I would have to say small cacti. Are they that small? If very small, then I go for Sempervivums, there are one or two which have long roots. Whatever they are they look to have been in the pots a long time.

[Aiko]

I think these are Aloes.

[MikeT]

Agaves? In which case there are a few that are potentially hardy, depending on where in the UK they are to be grown.

[esp]

Aloe polyphylla?

[Aiko]

Hmmm, Agave is probably more likely, indeed.

[AllanA]

Hello Aiko, you should have stuck to your firs] instinct as esp was correct, they are Aloe polyphyllas.

They have been outside for 7 years here in Orkney. We have as much, if not more, rain than most of the UK, however the lowest temperature they have had is about -2C and not for a long period.We rarely get above 16/17C in summer and in winter average about 6-9C, so they have been grown in a cool climate and have never had any soft growth. They also have had only a little feed.They have suffered only from our winds which is often 40mph in winter and has been over 100mph a few times. The cold salty wind burns the leaves, first at the edges and then further in. I once foolishly thought that I could protect them by covering them with fleece, the wind and their sharp spines soon ripped the fleece to shreds.

[AllanA]

Sorry Liz, I should have put one of the pots in the first photo so that their size would have been obvious.

[ChrisR]

How old are they Allan? Impressive plants.

[AllanA]

Sown in 2007 or 2008 Chris, They have not been short of water