A. hemmingii is often sold as the rarer A. harlana. Altman's Plants, which supplies my Lowe's, does this. From what I have seen, A. harlana gets much bigger, and does not usually grow offsets, unlike hemmingii. A. hemmingii is a beautiful plant, and to my surprise, mine sent up a flower spike a short while ago, and the flowers will be pink when they open. Enjoy your Aloes. Christopher

The plants don't get much sun, and are not watered much, so they probably look a little more limp than typical. Locked in a box out of the sun for 20 years? No wonder they look limp. They are also way too thin. So much so I wonder if this is not Aloe vera, but another Aloe. In any case, find a way to get these plants more light. Do it gradually. They will sunburn in full sun right now. Since you live in a cold region, outside is probably not an option this time of year. Grow lights would be a good idea. They can tolerate temperatures just a few degrees above freezing, but will not survive a hard freeze. Consider thinning out those pots. Put individual plants in their own container. Search this forum for old posts on soil. The basics, use about 75% inorganic materials like perlite, pumice, gravel, turface, etc. Do not use sand, it will compact into cement. You can use orchid bark or redwood fines for the organic component. It must be free- draining, and appropriately sized for the plant(s) so that they can absorb all the moisture in a wet pot within three-four days. Water only when completely dry. Fertilize in late February with any balanced fertilizer at 1/4 the recommended dose. Folks here will be happy to help you learn how to properly grow your heritage plants. That will make your plants happy. And that should make you happy. And that will make us happy. Happy growing! Brad

Travis, I heard back from Karen. =) She says: Karen Zimmerman~ Hi Rosemarie! It is my hybrid, and it does not have a name. While I love it, it too closely resembles its one parent, a very nice clone of Aloe compressa ssp. rugosquamosa. The biggest difference is that it is slowly going rosulate, unlike that species.

Hi, ive been trying to source a 'Hercules aloe' which is a hybrid between aloe barberae and aloe dichotoma. I've found it's fairly easy to source over seas however I haven't found anything in Australia and in months and I'm beginning to think they don't exist here in Australia or are not for sale ?? I've also contacted nurseries and growers but no one seems to have them. I have found some aloe dichotoma but I've been told they have issues growing in Queensland. The Hercules apparently doesn't have these issues and is a very fast grower. Would love to get a hold of one for my garden is anyone any to shed some light on this ??