Looking good😀! I wish I had a big Aloe tree.

Aloe flowers are so striking and look more vibrant in real life, pics really don’t do them justice. They also will drip with nectar which is pretty cool imo.

I notice your nice big Fan Aloe, does that thing ever bloom?

I walk by people‘s big Fan Aloes and wonder when my little guy will start growing new fans, and today I noticed something new.

It finally is growing a new fan. I have been waiting for yrs for this, lets just say I am a happy camper!

Needs a major repot, which it will be getting very soon.

It’s gonna look so good once the rains come.

Do you cover any of the plants in your yard during the winter? Your big Euphorbia looks good.

How‘s your Boojum tree?

Nobody gets covered Kara. I might move some things very tropical to the porch. Croton that I have had for 2 winters and three summers..all outdoors in the bay area.

The Boojum is fine!..very cold hardy. They like the Pachypodiums really need a spot where winter rains drain very fast. Roots will rot. Right now the Boojum is still in a pot.

Kara there is a big difference between 9b and 10a, unfortunately! I'm in Petaluma 9b and cannot grow super tender things easily. Also the last hard winter that we had was 2013-2014. I'm afraid that I've gotten careless and planted too much that will get hit hard if we ever have another 'normal' winter. Maybe we won't and maybe that's not what normal is anymore. I don't cover anything because my garden is just too big and I am just too lazy. Stanofh's comment about drainage is spot-on. The plants that are from winter-dry areas are the most difficult to accommodate and I try my best by making a big pile of single-head rocks and then pouring a mound of gritty soil on top of that and planting on top of it. Also try to site in a south-facing location with rocks around it as a heat trap. And just keep enjoying stanofh's photos when that doesn't work!

Sara, I am well aware of how big a difference five degrees can make with succulents. My question to Stan about covering his plants was just out of curiosity. I am also well aware of how important drainage is, we are on the cactus and succulent forum.

Stan, my Boojum is just starting to break dormancy. If you get time I’d love to see a pic of yours.

So hard to get a good pic of my Boojum, but it definitely has grown. Slow but steady.

Stan do you have any sense of how old these big guys need to be to flower? I have a 'Hercules', which is a cross between A. bbarberae and A. dichotoma. It's about 4 1//2' tall and has a trunk about 8" in diameter at the base. Not sure how old it is. Never flowered.

Just saw this post Kara...try to post photos Monday.

Better photo of Aloe..and the Boojum. Plenty cold hardy.

Dormant?..Maybe in a month or not. I don't remember when it was leafless Kara. I think it might have been mid summer?..not sure

The aloe blossoms in front of the euphorbia make a stunning combination.