Although Aloe ‘Technicolour’ will start flowering as a medium size plant, it will grow beyond that and should therefore be seen as a ‘large’ cultivar. It is stemless with very dark green leaves, sometimes with a few isolated paler spots or striping. There may be some orange/pink discolouration during the dry or colder season. The spines that line the leaves are strong and very sharp.
Inflorescences only start showing in winter and therefore develop quite slowly. They are massive with numerous branchings (primary and secondary racemes) and the flowers only start opening toward the very end of winter or early spring. After the first flowers open it does not take long before Aloe ‘Technicolour’ becomes the star or the flower show, out-shining everything else that may still be in flower. Up to 4 huge inflorescences spread their shortish racemes over three times wider than the diameter of the plant itself, creating as long-lasting cascade of deep red to creamy yellow flowers. It just has to be seen to be believed.
Plants will remain single for some time as stem shoots are not common. The rosette may divide in more mature individuals. Aloe ‘Technicolour’ is a good subject for a suitably sized container because of its sedentary growth and bountiful flowers. A general rule is not to have a container larger than 1,5 times the diameter of the plant. It should then be at least 3 years before the plant needs more space – either in a larger container or towards the sunny front of the rockery.
Best recorded flower performance from a single rosette plant: 4 inflorescences with a total of 160 racemes.
Uploaded March 2020
