Aloe Pink Blush

Aloe Pink Blush (Aloe 'Pink Blush') is a compact hybrid aloe that settles at about 40cm tall and 40cm across, small enough to hold its place in a rockery or a pot for years. It forms a tight rosette of thick toothed leaves, then lifts slim flower spikes of pink and orange to roughly half a metre above the foliage. It is a plant for people who want colour without a watering routine.

Why you'll love it

• It stays small. At 40cm each way it will not swamp a border or crack out of a 250mm pot the way a larger aloe does.
• Flowers the birds work. Pink and orange spikes stand clear of the rosette, and nectar feeding birds come in for them.
• Built for hot, dry, salty positions. Drought, heat and salt tolerant, and content in poor soil, so a coastal front garden suits it.
• Genuinely low maintenance. No trimming, no staking, no feeding schedule. Removing the spent flower spikes is the year's work.

Where it works best

Pots and containers. One rosette fills a 250mm pot, and a pot lets you shift it under cover in a cold snap.

Rockeries, borders and mass planting. Plant 30cm apart for a continuous low band of rosettes. At that spacing the leaves knit together within two seasons and weeds lose their opening.

Coastal gardens. Salt spray and sandy soil are no obstacle, so it makes a sensible edge for a beachside path.

Growing Aloe Pink Blush in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the tightest rosette and the most flowers. It suits tropical, subtropical, warm temperate, Mediterranean and arid gardens, and takes light frost only. In hard frosting inland, tableland and cold southern gardens, grow it in a pot and move it under an eave for winter.

Soil. Drainage matters more than fertility. Use a cactus and succulent mix in pots, and in the ground plant on a raised mound with coarse sand through heavy clay. Wet feet over winter is what kills it.

Water and feed. Soak, then let the soil dry right through before the next drink. A light dose of controlled release fertiliser once in spring is plenty.

Pruning. Cut spent flower stems at the base and pull away dried lower leaves. Offsets form around the parent and can be lifted and replanted to extend a planting.

What to expect when it arrives

This aloe is sold as tube stock, which is a young rosette a few centimetres across rather than a flowering plant. Tubes fill a 200mm pot within a season or two in warm weather, and the price per plant makes them the sensible way to cover ground in a mass planting.

Succulents are among the best travellers we send, and the odd bruised leaf tip is cosmetic. Let yours sit dry for a week after planting before the first water. Delivered Australia wide, delivery from $29.95, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The aloe care guide
• The wider succulent range
• Low growers for rockeries
• Drought tolerant plants

Common questions

How often should I water it?

Every two to three weeks through spring and summer, and monthly or less in winter. Push a finger into the mix first: if there is damp below the surface, wait.

Will it survive frost?

Light frost only. A light frost will not hurt an established plant, but repeated hard frosts turn the leaves to mush. In cold districts keep it potted and under cover through winter.

Is it safe around cats and dogs?

No. Aloes are not on our pet friendly list, because the sap can cause vomiting and diarrhoea in cats and dogs if the leaves are chewed. Plant it where a grazing pet cannot reach it.

Can I grow it indoors?

Only on a bright windowsill with several hours of direct sun. In average indoor light the rosette stretches and stops flowering.