usually pay a visit to the arboretum around the new year to see what aloes are blooming and how things are handling the cold (gets relatively cold there compared to my place and the Huntington- often get to see some plant's cold limitations). they obviously had a very cold and extreme wind as so many downed trees and tortured plants, but many things still looked great. Did not get as cold there as it did last year at this time when many of their tree aloes were badly damaged and so many flowers will killed. But there is still plenty of winter left... we'll see.

Aloe Cynthia Giddy planting

Aloe susannaes (note they are nearly blown over)

View of the succulent garden (small portion of it)

Some Aloe vaombes making flowers (still weeks away from them having nice, large, red inflorescences)

Peculiar cacti and Euphorbia leucodendron

OK, not in the succulent garden, but these Encephalartos altensteiniis were looking great

Amazing huge hedge of Portulacaria afra

Aloe arborescens or mutabilis

Aloe maculata yellow form planting

Exceptionally colorful Aloe martlothii (should be making a flower soon)

Aloe mutabilis... I think.. .could be an off-color Aloe arborescens

Bismarckia palm planting (not succulents, but NEAR the succulent garden)

Aloe rubroviolacea... this demonstrates how location is so important to blooming time.. These don't bloom for another month at my house (same climate zone) and are just starting to make flowers at the Huntington... but every year they follow the same schedule. No idea why the differences in blooming times.

Aloe speciosas- same thing... way too early to see these blooming anywhere else around here, but they always bloom early at the arboretum (maybe it gets colder there sooner)

Yet Aloe vanbelleniis are just about the same time for everywhere in So California

Huge Pachypodium lamerei (this plant is over 10 feet tall)