This catalog is for information only. If you don't see the price - the plant is not for sale.

They range in size from little one inch miniatures to massive plant colonies consisting of hundreds of 2 foot diameter plants. Although most Aloes have some medicinal or commercial value, the most commonly known is the Aloe barbadensis... better known as Aloe vera. All Aloes are semitropical succulent plants, and may only be grown outdoors in areas where there is no chance of freezing (USDA zones 10-11). However, they make excellent house plants when they are given sufficient light. Potted Aloes benefit from spending the summer outdoors. Older specimens may even bloom, producing a tall stock covered with bright colored coral flowers. Aloe flower nectar is a favorite of hummingbirds! The medicinal properties of Aloe vera have been known, and recorded since biblical times. It has been used for a variety of ailments, and as an ointment for burns, cuts, and rashes, as well as an ingredient in various beauty preparations. The sap of the Aloe is a thick, mucilaginous gel. It is this gel which is used medicinally. Because Aloe plants consist of 95% water, they are extremely frost tender. If they are grown outdoors in warm climates, they should be planted in full sun, or light shade. The soil should be moderately fertile, and fast draining. Established plants will survive a drought quite well, but for the benefit of the plant, water should be provided. During the winter months, the plant will become somewhat dormant, and utilize very little moisture. During this period watering should be minimal. Allow the soil to become completely dry before giving the plant a cup or two of water. During the summer months, the soil should be completely soaked, but then be allowed to dry again before re-watering. Aloes have a shallow, spreading root system, so when it is time to repot choose a wide planter, rather than a deep one. You may also use a packaged 'cacti mix' soil. Aloes are propagated by removing the offsets which are produced around the base of mature plants, when they are a couple inches tall (or larger). They may also be grown from seed.

Species and varieties:

Aloe africana

Aloe albiflora

Aloe amudatensis

Aloe arborescens

Aloe aristata

Aloe bakeri

Aloe bellatula

Aloe branddraaiensis

Aloe brevifolia

Aloe buhrii

Aloe cameronii

Aloe camperi

Aloe ciliaris

Aloe cremnophila

Aloe dorotheae

Aloe dyeri

Aloe erinacea

Aloe ferox

Aloe gariepensis

Aloe glauca

Aloe haworthioides

Aloe hereroensis

Aloe humilis

Aloe juvenna

Aloe karasbergensis

Aloe krapohliana

Aloe macrosiphon

Aloe marlothii

Aloe melanacantha

Aloe microstigma

Aloe mitriformis

Aloe perryi

Aloe pearsonii

Aloe pictifolia

Aloe plicatilis

Aloe pruinosa

Aloe saponaria

Aloe somaliensis

Aloe speciosa

Aloe squarrosa

Aloe striata

Aloe vera

Aloe x nobilis

Alpinia is a rather large genus of plants, with more than 330 species from the Ginger family (Zingiberaceae). They occur in tropical and subtropical climates of Asia and the Pacific, and are in great demand as ornamentals because of their flashy flowers.

Alpinia malaccensis is cultivated for ornamental and medicinal purposes. It is a native of Indonesia and Malaysia. An oil is obtained from dried rhizome. The rhizomes are ginger-scented. Likes a slightly acid soil. Tubular flowers in droopy clusters. The flowers come mostly in summer.

Alpinia malaccensis is similar to Alpinia zerumbet.

Narrow-Leaf Cinnamon Ginger. The plant is a low mounding ginger with glossy leaves, and amazingly fragrant foliage. Gently brushing the leaves is all it takes to release a spicy cardamom-like aroma. Rhizomes are ginger-scented with a touch of Cinnamon. The flowers are quite beautiful, and resemble those of shell ginger to which it is closely related - the terminal inflorescence resembles that of Alpinia zerumbet, but with smaller bracts, and much larger, red and yelow labellums. These are tubular flowers in droopy clusters and come mostly in summer. This plant has attractive glossy foliage. Lanceolate glabrous leaves emerge from dense stands of pseudostems. In a shady tropical garden, the glossy dense foliage is lush and beautiful.

Hardy to zone 7, it is very easy to grow, and will grow from a small rhizome division into an enormous specimen in just a couple of years. If not protected from freezes, it will die back to the ground, but it will re-emerge from the rhizomes in the Spring, as long as the ground doesn't freeze. If you keep giving it room to spread, the clump will soon become several feet across and three feet tall.

Keep soil evenly moist during the warm months, but allow to dry out a bit more during the winter. Do not fertilize during the Winter. Alpinia nutans is very forgiving of soil type, and is reportedly tolerant of salt.

Hardy foliage plant is often used as a shade groundcover. Alpinia nutans is a Southeast Asian medicinal plant used to control hypertension, as diuretic, antifungal, and antiulcer. In Japan it is used as food preservative.