Found an Aloe Forest

For the past week I’ve been cleaning a long neglected section of the Acre in preparation for a chicken (and duck) friendly Mediterranean garden. To clear one area I had to chop down a rogue oak sapling and cut out a tone of dead brush below it. When I finally did get the area cleaned up, I discovered a rather large patch of aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis) growing quite happily along the fence line.

An Aloe Vera colony I found thriving under piles of debris

the Aloe Vera after I cleaned out the dead flower stalks

My patch of Aloe Vera plants viewed from the top

I vaguely recall planting an aloe (i.e., one) there probably back in the late 90’s-early 2000’s. You think with no water, covered in debris and totally neglected, that it’d be struggling (at least a bit), but there’s at least 100 plants. I guess the colony is doing just fine.

I think I’ll keep these aloes for the Mediterranean garden, but I’m definitely going to thin them a bit.