An amazing array of tall, bright orange racemes crown this large, short-stemmed aloe towards the end of winter. This is a time when very few of the orange flowered aloe cultivars still have flowers on them, so it fills an important niche in a rockery where a mix of colours is part of the theme. Multiple, simultaneous inflorescences are responsible for this spledid flowering performance. The flowers differ from pure species (Aloe Ferox) not only in their length and abundance, but also in the purity of colour. Where (Aloe Ferox) often has darkish filaments resulting in a ‘dirty’-looking raceme, Aloe ‘Giza’s filaments mimic the flower colour precisely.
The leaves are grey-green, longish and lined with reddish spines. The plant itself hardly ever produces stem shoots but may divide its rosette upon maturity. This will eventually result in twin heads that will enhance the flowering splendour of the plant. The picture shows such a plant with 2 heads or rosettes.
Because of its size Aloe ‘Giza’ is best grown on the open rockery, around halfway between the tall plants at the back and the smaller ones in front. If planted in front of a tall plant with strikingly coloured flowers like ‘Erik the Red’ it cuts a fine picture indeed.
Updated 7 April 2019.