A while ago, on a warm January day, I finally planted a large Aloe plicatilis on a southwest facing slope in my front garden. I’d been meaning to do this for some time, and the weather gave me a good excuse to get it done. Aloe plicatilis—also known as Fan Aloe—is one of those plants that always gets a reaction. Botanically, it's now classified as Kumara plicatilis, but most growers still call it Aloe plicatilis—and frankly, so do I. The updated name reflects its unique lineage among tree-like aloes, but the plant itself hasn’t changed. Its upright fan-like foliage and sculptural form stop people in their tracks. When selling some at a farmers market it was always a customer favorite. If you're looking to grow one yourself, we occasionally have Aloe plicatilis available in the online store.
The Aloe plicatilis pictured below has been living in this pot for the better part of 3 years - time for it to find a better home.
I'm not entirely sure why I'd never planted it before - probably because I couldn't find a spot for it initially. As I've thought more about expanding the hillside garden wall, new planting real estate and opportunities came to mind.
Aloe plicatilis is native to the Western Cape of South Africa, where it grows on rocky slopes in fynbos shrublands with winter rainfall and dry summers. It’s slow-growing, eventually forming a small tree with a branching trunk. In the right conditions, it can reach 8 to 10 feet tall and almost as wide, though that takes time. Mine’s a long way from that, but it’s nice to imagine. The fan-like leaves are held in opposing pairs, stacked like paddles, and the overall effect is highly architectural. That’s where the common name ‘Fan Aloe’ comes from—the leaves are arranged like a handheld fan, creating a sculptural silhouette that looks intentional, almost architectural. When mature, it produces orange-red tubular flowers in late winter or early spring—an additional bonus for hummingbirds.
This hole is wider than needed but I wanted to make sure I had space to position the plant properly. I've left a layer of loose, native soil at the bottom.
Once I get this Aloe in the hole I'll need to back fill around the plant - in the shots above you can see my mix of native soil, soil amendment and 5/8 inch crushed volcanic rock. Hopefully this mix will help the Aloe survive our dry Summers and wet Winters.
Because this is a larger specimen living in a big pot with lots of heavy, wet dirt I want to make sure I've dug the hole to the correct depth before trying to remove the plant.
Before removing it from the pot I usually step back and view the plant from a few angles to make sure it's being presented as best as possible.
Just a quick detour back in time to demonstrate what this space looks like at the end of our usual 6+ month dry season. Digging a hole in this dirt takes a long time - and in fact I usually end up breaking out the 12lb digging bar.
Of course it is not always warm here, in fact we do get regular light frosts mainly December through February. So you may be asking is Aloe plicatilis cold hardy? This aloe can usually handle a light frost, but repeated freezes or temps below the mid-20s (°F) will damage it. If you’re in USDA Zone 9b or warmer, you’re probably fine.
I wasn't sure what to expect after leaving this plant for so long in a 15 gal pot. The rootball had definitely grown to fill the entire container but didn't look root-bound just yet. I removed quite a lot of root material and dirt trying to find an ant colony I suspect took up residence. I found lots of ants - or rather they found me! Because of the weight / size of this specimen, I asked my daughter to help hold the pot while I tipped it upside down and used gravity to gently remove the goods.
The ants have been farming aphids on my poor Aloe for at least a 18 months now :( I periodically spray them with isopropyl alcohol and even wipe between the leaf joints to physically remove the aphids.
It's always disappointing and not a little bit annoying to discover an aphid infestation in one of your favorite plants but this particular aloe will survive.
Eventually the aphids do enough damage that the leaves die prematurely. Clearly I have not been vigilant enough.
But amazingly this specimen still looks happy. I also put down a layer of gravel as a from of decorative mulch. Eventually I'll place more Telluride dry-stack stone behind this aloe to help retain the hill. For now I'm happy to let this Aloe get established - later we'll fill in gaps with rock and other plants.
I'll revisit this part of the garden in a future post as I continue a rock wall that defines one side of the hillside path.
About 18 months later...
The "Fan Aloe" isn't known for big showy flowers and that's "ok" because the foliage is so unique.
After five years this Fan Aloe has survived and thrived with little to no care. This specimen almost looks as if it has gone native. Over time Aloe plicatilis will naturally form a skirt of old leaves (like a palm tree). The leaves can safely be removed if the natural look is a bit messy for your tastes.
I am not sure how old this plant is now but I'm guessing roughly 10 yrs. I'm definitely happy with mine - once established it doesn't ask for much and looks great in our hillside garden!
Note: This post expands on an earlier version originally published on the Dry Oasis Gardening blog in 2020.