![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZNUNajk8wptHFDPqbxkJfZOCm2w0GwCQC6J75bf_tjizqe-c5MSwmqeUgWFk059zAmY_-0gFCKXH6YwHRTq9In1lcom9EztbnAFKzyuSO5C5D2kKDtuc4lPMuxk6OU4SFU9zuWg/s320/PICT8624.JPG)
This is
Aloe homedepotensis; an unnamed variety picked up long ago on the succulent oddity table at the local warehouse store, before such things were all the rage. Of course, succulents aren't only popular now: They seem to have become necessary to demonstrate a gardener's commitment to conservation and begin green.
Anyway, I have a fair
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZaQBVIKdrUrbCxM63HtfrPOficlvFasfpFRJwwIHvSk_O8sPaC1luMx2hvwue8-nqorf8u9wBiavafs3mIMxdee0ftTyyFoT4c0ZBovkop3SyTGGOH6agYPMivr_dWoc00tLag/s200/PICT8679.JPG)
number of aloes in the garden and this one is in bloom right now. Nectar drips from the flowers, and a fly (maybe
Minettia flaveola? or more likely
Photopsis blurrii) perches on the flower stalk below . . . exploiting the drip?
Sure, aloes
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRI_C2hvU5igdhQLJFM0-AuoVTGtQ3EaOAcdnuxYuPsmlezh5cNXBxBV2l1f_RV1gahVrGj7sx5ni3rzyK3tBATiNkD8H0QSdKyllF6ADkDY5wxHccqUn3LneTPFRbcj9HZ6c80g/s200/PICT8621.JPG)
are tough, but in my experience they are appreciative of occasional to regular watering and tolerate of a fair amount of shade in hotter climates. There are a huge number of aloe species, representing a wide range of needs and forms. They come almost exclusively from South Africa; oh, and they are not cacti. Do not use aloes to represent the American southwest! They are lovely in their own right, easy to grow, not native to here.
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