Lilies of the African landscape

Our resident environmentalist, PHILIP VAN DEN BERG (U34), writes: Aloes are often spoken of as lilies of the African landscape. They vary in size from minute dwarf-like plants to huge trees.  Believe it or not, there are examples of all these shapes of aloes growing in our village. A few of those appear in the photographs below. They display flashes of colour; some of them in reds, others in oranges and yellows, a few of them pastel pale, but most of them bright and intense.

In their various forms, shapes and sizes, aloes are a distinctive feature of the many different landscapes, contributing to the wealth of the floral kingdom of the southern tip of Africa.

Being hardy and drought-resistant plants, aloes are ideal garden plants for a dry and hot place such as Bela-Bela. They do, however, need well-drained soil, enough sunlight, sufficient food and some attention as a thriving, vigorous plant will be less prone to pests and diseases. White scale is a common pest in our village but can be treated by modern aerosol contact insecticides, systemic insecticides or simply by spraying the plants with a mixture of washing powder, alcohol and water.

Another serious disease is aloe cancer. Do not try to treat this – simply remove the plants.