Dwarf Aloes Perfect for Pots

Dwarf or “star” aloes are becoming hugely popular. No two are exactly alike, yet all share similarities. Most are hybrids selected for their beauty and collectibility.

I'm very grateful for this comment on my YouTube page. Any succulent that does well in the Northeast gets a major thumbs-up!

These diminutive aloes average a few inches in diameter and seldom attain more than 8. Characteristics that appeal to collectors include stripes, zig-zags, textural bumps, and ridges. Colors range from creamy white through shades of red, blue, brown, orange, green, and yellow. Some have non-spiny teeth along leaf margins that contrast with leaf color.

They may look similar, but dwarf aloes are different from small garden aloes (above), such A. brevifolia and A. nobilis. Garden aloes are tougher, often with thick, wedge-shaped leaves that have prickled edges. See more Aloe species and cultivars ideal for in-ground cultivation. 

Dwarf aloes, compared to in-ground garden aloes, are more delicate and showy, and are best grown in pots. Jane Curtis, who lives in the northeastern US, says, "I think these dwarf aloes are so beautiful and have the most interesting textures and colors. I find them easy to grow indoors in the winter and outside on my balcony in warmer weather."

Aloe 'Blizzard' has zig-zag patterns. Pot by Port Town Pottery

What about flowers?

One of the best things about landscape aloes are their flowers: tall, colorful spires in shades of red, orange or yellow. Blooms of dwarf aloes, on the other hand, are small and unimpressive, like those of haworthias. Hummingbirds do like them, though.

Dwarf aloe in bloom: Aloe 'Moondance'

Let's pot 'em up!

In my new video, you'll see me pot-up three different dwarf aloes from Oasis Water Efficient Gardens Nursery near San Diego.

I selected a royal blue pot to contrast with the red-orange and pink hues of the aloes. Sedum rubrotinctum ‘Aurora’ fills gaps.

Before discarding nursery pots, I peel off their labels and put them in a file folder, so I can refer to them later.

Dwarf Aloe Care Essentials

• Protect from sunburn, especially while newly acquired ones are getting acclimated to your garden.

Sunburn shows up as beige, brown or white patches. They don't go away. 

• Sun is essential for color. If they don’t get enough light, orange, red, purple, or yellow aloes revert to green.

Aloe 'Pink Blush' in bright light (left) and low light (right).

• Keep or remove offsets. Let them crowd together or plant them as you would any cutting. Roots will grow from the base of the rosette.

Many dwarf aloes offset, meaning the main rosette will reproduce in a hen-and-chicks manner.

• Protect from temperature extremes: below 32 degrees F or above 95. Move beneath an overhang or indoors, or drape them with a lightweight fabric.

A dish cloth protects dwarf aloes on my deck from frost in winter and searing sun in summer. 

• Watch for aloe mite, a microscopic bug that causes abnormal growth. It's best to discard the infested plant, because the mite can spread. But if the plant is important to you, excise the cancerous growth and isolate the aloe away from others.

A dwarf aloe with aloe mite (upper right)

New Dwarf Aloe Cultivars

Kelly Griffin, the best known hybridizer of aloes, agaves, and dudleyas, is a succulent celebrity. It's possible to meet him in person at San Diego Cactus & Succulent Society meetings, shows and sales. He's the group's past-president and judges show plants.

Aloe 'Secret Agent', a Karen Zimmerman cultivar, won a blue ribbon at the San Diego Cactus & Succulent Society Show

Another famed hybridizer is Karen Zimmerman, who is on staff wth the Huntington Botanical Gardens near Pasadena.

Dwarf aloe collectors frequent the Facebook group: "All That is Kelly Griffin." Gina Julia started the group in 2020. "It's mainly for members to show Kelly's aloes in different growing environments," she says, "and how beautiful they really are in their forms and colors. It is also our 'giving back' for the joy he brings to collectors."

Kelly occasionally adds comments and photos, answers questions, IDs plants, and shares insights.

Of recently introduced Aloe 'Snowdrift', Kelly observes, "I had been trying to make a good white aloe as well as every other color combination. In 'Snowdrift', I was pleased with the shape, margins, growth habit, vigor, flower and solid color."

Aloe 'Snow Drift' PPAF (patented, Altman Plants)

Dwarf Aloe Sources

If a cultivar's label says Altman Plants and has the abbreviation PP (for Patented Plant), Altman's introduced it and are the only ones that can legally propagate and sell it. Kelly's on staff at Altman's, so any patented aloe cultivar is probably one of his.

Oasis Water Efficient Gardens north of San Diego has the best selection of dwarf aloes compared to other retail succulent specialty nurseries I'm aware of.

If you can't go to Oasis, shop at cactus and succulent shows and sales or buy from reputable online sources, such as Altman Plants, Mountain Crest Gardens, Fairview Nursery, and Rojas Succulents.

Do you grow dwarf aloes? Do share your tips and favorites in the Comments below!