Sea Urchin™ Aloe

Sea Urchin Aloe (Aloe hybrid 'ANDsea') is a compact clumping aloe bred by Ozbreed for tight, architectural blue green rosettes and a heavy crop of orange flowers through winter and spring. Each clump sits at about 300mm high and 300mm wide, with the flower stems rising to 500mm when most of the garden is quiet. It is frost, heat and drought tolerant, which makes it one of the few succulents that works from the coast to the cold inland.

Why you'll love it

• Orange flowers in winter. The spikes open from winter into spring, when little else is flowering, and honeyeaters work them daily.
• Tight, clean rosettes. It is denser and more compact than the common clumping aloe, so a mass planting reads as a neat blue green texture rather than a sprawl.
• Frost, heat and drought tolerant. Once established it shrugs off a hot summer and a frosty winter on the same site.
• Almost no work. Water it in, mulch it and feed once a year. A cut back every four or five years is the only other job.
• A modern look. The foliage suits gravel gardens, rendered planters and contemporary front gardens where you want structure without bulk.

Where it works best

Mass planting. Plant 30 to 40cm apart in offset rows (six to twelve a square metre). The clumps meet within two seasons and the winter display is at its best in a block.

Garden borders. In a single row 30cm apart it makes a low evergreen edge along a path or driveway that never needs trimming.

Specimen planting. One clump in a gravel bed, between boulders or in a wide bowl pot gives year round structure and a burst of orange in winter.

Growing Sea Urchin Aloe in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to part shade, with the tightest growth and most flower in sun. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate, Mediterranean and arid or semi arid gardens; Ozbreed does not recommend it for north Queensland, where the wet season is too much for it.

Soil. Most soils are fine where the climate is dry. In humid regions such as coastal Queensland it needs free draining soil or a raised bed, because an aloe sitting in wet soil through a humid summer rots at the base.

Water and feed. Water as required for the first 8 to 13 weeks, then leave it to the weather. Mulch with a chunky mulch kept clear of the rosettes and apply a slow release fertiliser once a year.

Pruning. Remove spent flower stems at the base once they brown. If a clump gets congested or untidy, cut it back every four or five years and it reshoots cleanly.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Sea Urchin Aloe in 100mm pots in packs of 10 and in 140mm pots in packs of 10. The 100mm plants are the economical choice for a large mass planting and catch up within a season; the 140mm plants are already forming clumps and give a finished edge sooner. Aloes travel well, since the fleshy leaves hold water for the trip, and they establish quickly in warm, well drained soil.

Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the full aloe range
• See the full Ozbreed range
• More succulents for dry gardens
• Our aloe care guide

Common questions

Is it safe around pets?

Aloes contain compounds that upset dogs and cats if the leaves are chewed, so we do not list it as pet friendly. Plant it where pets do not graze.

How much water does it need?

Very little once established. Water through the first 8 to 13 weeks, then only in a long dry spell. More aloes are lost to wet soil than to drought.

Will it survive frost?

Yes. Ozbreed rates it frost tolerant and it is grown in cold inland and tableland gardens. Give it full sun and sharp drainage in those areas.