Garden Aloes

spring blooming Aloes with orange flowers (25)

Are you looking to add some orange color to your waterwise garden in the spring? Here's a handy list of 25 Aloes that are good candidates.

Aloe africana

The plants grow slowly and reach the flowering stage in 4 to 5 years. Bears deep orange buds that open to a light orange or yellow flower. Flowers mostly from mid to late winter, and early spring. The individual flowers are held in a downward inclination but uniquely turn upwards towards the tips. Its large raceme is erect and may be unbranched or have up to four branches, and has tubular flowers. They are are orange in bud and turn yellow just prior to opening from the bottom of the spike upwards. Young plants have flower stalks without branches, but older plants typically have one or more side branches, with exceptional plants having as many as four. These torch-like blooms are attractive to hummingbirds and compliment the grey green leaves, which are armed with many dark thorns. read more

Aloe Blue Elf

'Blue Elf' explodes with showy spikes of orangey-red blooms in late winter through early spring. The tall flower spikes are frequented by hummingbirds in late winter to early spring. read more

Aloe buhrii

The multi-branched inflorescence has up to fifteen racemes of orange to yellow flowers that appear in early spring. Buds point upwards and upon flowering they hang down. read more

Aloe ciliaris

Bright orange tubular flowers on tall spikes appear almost throughout the year but with a peak in late winter and early spring. The unbranched 6-12 inch long inflorescences rise vertically from near the tips of the branches and bare inch long tubular flowers with yellow tips that dangle downwards. Flowers are interesting as they are bright yellow inside, but orange outside. The oblong fruiting capsule is about 18 mm (3/4 inch) long. read more

Aloe claviflora

Aloe claviflora produces cool club shaped, orangey-coral hued 12” long flowers that attract pollinators emerge horizontally at an angle rather than upright putting on a spectacular bloomy show in Spring. The buds and young flowers are bright red but turn a yellow and whitish color as they age with time. This gives a very attractive bicolored appearance to the racemes. For some reason the blooms all point out away from the center of the cluster. Aloe claviflora produces nectar and is therefore pollinated by birds as well as winged and crawling insects such as ants which are small enough to enter the flower tube in which the nectar is stored. read more

Aloe 'Crosby's Prolific'

'Crosby’s Prolific’ has bright red to orange flowers that attract birds. Flowers seem to be in spring but sometimes appear at other times of the year. Flowers have a tubular shape. read more

Aloe 'Cynthia Giddy'

'Cynthia Giddy' can bloom repeatedly through the seasons with branched inflorescences of bright, red-orange flowers but peaks in the summer. Starting as early as late winter, you will begin to see branched, vibrant orange-red flowers emerge. Flowers rise well above the foliage. read more

Aloe dorotheae

In mid to late winter to early spring a 1 to 2 foot flower spike (usually unbranched) rises above the foliage with dark flower buds that have green at the tips and open to show salmon-orange colored flowers with greenish-yellow tipped petals. Flowering times vary and some plants flower multiple times throughout the year. read more

Aloe elegans

Aloe elegans blooms in winter and early spring. The conical heads of flowers appear on a few (2-4) branched inflorescence rising above the leaf tips. The flower color ranges from a pale yellow to orange-red and this selection, vegetatively produced, has pale mid-orange colored flowers. This plant's flowers are attractive to bees, butterflies and birds. read more

Aloe excelsa

Aloe excelsa puts up a showy candelabra like inflorescence which grows to 4 1/2 feet tall and branched into 10 to 15 racemes in late winter through early spring. Flowers are deep crimson red to orange-red in color, and tubular in shape. read more

Aloe 'Grassy Lassie'

Through much of the year from mid winter thru spring-early summer the numerous small bright orange flowers on 2 foot bracts rise above the foliage for a beautiful display. read more

Aloe harlana

The flowers of Aloe harlana appear in spring on a 2 to 3 foot well-branched (3-7 branches) flower stalk. Branching from below the middle of the inflorescence each branch holds a conical raceme of flowers that are either red-orange or yellow as they begin to open from the bottom of the raceme upwards so in the early stages both the red buds and orange flowers are displayed at the same time. The flowers are really the best differentiating morphological characteristic which sets this 'plastic-like' north African spotted aloe apart. read more

Aloe helenae

During the late winter to early spring Aloe helenae puts up multiple inflorescences with large numbers of crowded flowers, each from yellowish green to yellowish orange. The racemes are cylindrical, resembling the inflorescences of the Australian protea relatives in the genus Banksia. The red flower buds fade to pale yellow before opening with flaring petals. read more

Aloe hereroensis

Aloe hereroensis blooms in mid-winter to early spring. Flowers are multicolored orange to red and appear in flattened branched racemes that are wider than long. Flowering seems to depend a lot of sunny position, with shaded plants rarely flowering. Shades of orange and red are the most common flower coloring, but there is a pure yellow variety found in the central pro Namib regions. Up to three branched inflorescences can arise from a single rosette. The inflorescence is usually repeatedly branched, resulting in an elaborate panicle presenting a colorful display. read more

Aloe humilis

The hedgehog aloe has very large blooms compared to the size of the plant. In late winter into spring Aloe humilis produces a simple inflorescence (unbranched) roughly 1 foot tall. The raceme is oblong with 20 or so bell shaped (pendulous), bright orange-scarlet colored flowers. read more

Aloe kedongensis

Aloe kedongensis salmon-orange flowers that appear on mostly simple (unbranched) spikes in late winter and spring. The inflorescence is 50 cm (20 inch) tall. This aloe's racemes are conical to globoid in shape. The tips of the tubular flower lobes curve outwards. read more

Aloe lineata var. muirii

From mid-winter to late spring, each rosette of Aloe lineata v. muirii may develop up to 4 simple inforescences up to 1.2 m (4 feet) tall. The inflorescence has large fleshy bracts that hide the developing flower buds, which emerge and then hang downwards. Flowers are spectacular, large, tubular in shape and their color ranges salmon to deep red (sometimes yellow-orange). read more

Aloe maculata

Aloe maculata is very variable but its distinctly flat-topped inflorescences and usually uniformly colored flowers distinguish it from most other spotted aloes occurring in the same area. Flowers are held in on a multi-branched inflorescence over a long period in summer. Flowers of A maculata 'saponaria' usually yellow, but color ranges widely from yellow and red to salmon-orange. Flowering can occur any time of year, but usually in mid-winter in southern California. This is a very pretty aloe when in flower, especially if one is not that attracted to the spiky form of most aloe flowers. Seeds are reputedly poisonous. read more

Aloe mudenensis

Aloe mudenensis inflorescence is branched, with up to 8 racemes and up to 1 meter tall. It's conical racemes are dense, and 175 mm (6+ inches) long. Bloom times vary from winter to spring depending on location with flower color varying from yellow-orange to orange to coral-red. read more

Aloe plicatilis

The inflorescence of Aloe plicatilis is an erect 12 to 20 inch tall, un-branched raceme bearing cluster of tubular orange-red flowers in late winter to early spring. At the end of winter the plants appear to burst into flames as they suddenly produce masses of bright flowers. The racemes are cylindrical in shape. There are up to 30 tubular, scarlet flowers, each about 50 mm long and somewhat fleshy in texture. Aloe plicatilis blooms are loved by hummingbirds. read more

Aloe pseudorubroviolacea

In it's native habitat Aloe pseudorubroviolacea flowers from winter though early spring. In California it's reportedly bloomed even later, often into summer. It's inflorescence is tall, multi-branched and has 1 inch long waxy orange-red, downward facing, flowers that are closely spaced. Rarely, Aloe pseudorubroviolacea may have yellow flowers. read more

Aloe 'Rooikappie'

When you see a photo of the inflorescence, you'll understand the name. The flowers at the tip of the flower stem are massed together in the shape of a hood. Mature plants seem to flower periodically all year round in mild climates but is especially prolific in the fall. Arizona and low desert locations will see this species stop blooming during the hottest summer months. Blooms lasts a long time-several weeks usually depending on your weather. Aloe 'Rooikappie' has an attractive flower spike that reaches 18 to 24 inches tall with many orange pendant bell shaped blooms near the top that later turn darker yellow. Flowers themselves are conical in shape and highly symmetrical while developing. read more

Aloe rupestris

What is remarkable about Aloe rupestris are its 1 or 2 candelabra-form inflorescences up to 1.25 meters (4 feet) tall above the leaf rosette that bear 6-15 or more erect, cylindrical racemes. In late winter to early spring appear the sturdy inflorescence bearing many bottlebrush-like spikes of flowers that start out as tight masses of bright yellow buds that burst open to become completely overshadowed by the brilliant orange-red, exerted stamens. When they open, bright reddish stamens extend far out, and give each raceme a fluffy 'bottlebrush' look. The blooms are not long lasting but an amazing display that looks more like a Banksia flower than an aloe when in full bloom. Aloe rupestris is probably the most fluorescent of all the tree aloe flowers. It looks like psychedelic bottle brush from a distance. The individual flowers begin as tight yellow buds that are packed densely on the racemes. read more

Aloe spicata

Aloe spicata flowers in late winter to early spring and are solitary, long, compact columnar racemes that cover about 70% of the length of the entire inflorescence. This Aloe may have up to five, one meter tall inflorescences per rosette. Aloe spicata is named after the shape of the inflorescence, which emerge as densely flowered spikes The flowers are brown-yellow and have a shaving brush appearance owing to the dense inflorescence and long stamens. The long unbranched racemes are covered with dense, sessile, yellow-green flowers which appear yellow-orange due to their bright orange prominent stamens. Flowers have a brownish nectar which attracts birds and insects. Multiple heads in bloom can be quite striking. The flowers open from the bottom up with a wave of orange exerted stamens and great quantities of sticky brownish nectar. read more

Aloe vanbalenii

The flowers of Aloe vanbalenii are in late winter to early spring and are on sparsely branched, about 1 meter tall upright inflorescences, in tightly packed, conical racemes. The flower color varies, from different shades of yellow and orange, but is occasionally red. The flowers are tubular in shape, 30-40 mm long and attractive to nectar seeking birds and insects. read more

Aloes organized by flower color