Aloe striatula

[Herts Mike]

Recovering nicely after being cut to the ground last winter.

[edds]

Looking good!

[Paul in Essex]

I would have been more surprised if it hadn't.

[Herts Mike]

I was very surprised it had.

[Paul in Essex]

Mike - If you'd read anything at all that I have posted in the past about Aloe striatula, you wouldn't have been!

Away from the world of cactus and succulent plant growers and into the scary places exotic gardeners inhabit, Aloe striatula has been grown outside for decades. I have personally been growing it outside for 35 years. The tolerances for established plants are pretty well documented. Top growth damaged at around -6C but almost certainly resprouts from the wood in spring. Below -10C they generally sprout from underground. Reported to have come back from underground following -18C. In that regard it is most probably the hardiest of all aloes as I believe that temperature would see off Aloe polyphylla.

Last winter was singularly destructive - hopefully a one-off - in that many cacti and succulent plants, Aloe strtiatula being one, were caught off-guard by the early cold whilst still in active growth and subsequently damaged more than the temperatures would normally suggest. Nevertheless not many were lost across the land.

[Herts Mike]

I humbly apologise.

[Paul in Essex]

I humbly apologise.

Damned right and pay attention at the back in future...

[Herts Mike]

Whilst on the subject of Lazarus plants (and off topic) here is Cycas revoluta also in the same bed and regrowing from lower shoots.

[Paul in Essex]

I wouldn't give up on the middle - it looks heallthy enough. They routinely have a gap year or four withpout producing new leaves.

I stumbled on a small caudex that I had actually forgotten about when doing some weeding - it was in very dry shade under a holly. I reckon it has been 8 or more years since it produced a new flush of growth but, when I dug it up, it still looked firm and healthy in the middle. I transplanted it to somewhere sunny and occasionally watered it, bingo, next year it grew some new leaves. They are surprisingly difficult to kill but it seems even more difficult to grow well.

[esp]

Last winter was singularly destructive - hopefully a one-off - in that many cacti and succulent plants, Aloe strtiatula being one, were caught off-guard by the early cold whilst still in active growth and subsequently damaged more than the temperatures would normally suggest. Nevertheless not many were lost across the land.

All of mine were killed. No signs of regrowth from below ground.
Annoyingly, even a backup cutting in the greenhouse seems to have died in the last few weeks.