Blue Elf aloe

Aloe ‘Blue Elf’

Description

Blue elf aloe is a densely clumping cultivar that grows 15-18 in. tall and eventually up to 2 ft. wide. Each plant in the clump produces a 18-24 in. tall flower spike in mid winter with colorful orange-red flowers. Leaves are toothed on the margins, pale blue-green in color and grow tightly together in an upright habit.

The Blue Elf cultivar is an easy to grow flowering succulent for both residential and commercial plantings throughout the Inland Empire. It tolerates full sun, heat, aridity and winter temperatures to 20°F. It is well suited for use in containers, rock gardens and planted in large groupings to achieve a bold planting pattern. Plant in sunny locations on well drained soils and low amounts of supplemental water.

Plant Type: Aloe
Foliage Character: Succulent, Evergreen
Habit: Upright, Dense, Compact, Clumping
Growth Rate: Moderate
Foliage Color: Blue gray, Blue green
Flower Color: Orange
Flower Season: Winter
Soil Adaptations: Well-draining soil
Exposure Adaptations: Drought, Aridity, All day sun, Partial sun, Wind, Heat
Function: Rock gardens, Raised planters, Hummingbird plant, Grouped, Container plant, Borders
Height: 15 in. – 18 in.
Width: 24 in.

Watering Schedule: Low 2

For most situations, we recommend watering deeply every 2 weeks after establishment.

Learn how to apply this watering schedule to your landscape on our How to water waterwise and California native plants page.

Important Notes

These are general guidelines. Always observe and adjust as necessary for your landscape.
If it rains over 1” you will likely not need to water for at least another two weeks. Before watering again, check the soil. It should be significantly dry at least 4” below the soil surface before watering.
To save water, in many cases you can go longer in between waterings during the winter, often up to 3-4 weeks between watering for well-established plants. Two weeks after watering, check the soil approximately 4” below the surface. If it is still significantly moist, you can wait longer before watering again.
In most cases, if you have a “smart timer” or weather sensitive irrigation controller, you may use these features to save some water in in the fall and winter. If you are using automatic weather adjusting functions, continue to allow the timer to run every two weeks. It will adjust the number of minutes it runs to account for the cooler weather.
It is important to group plants with the same water needs together in the landscape to avoid needing to over or under water plants when running your irrigation system.