Soap Aloe
This is the flower of a Soap Aloe, Aloe saponaria, for you botanical name fans. Only Mother Nature could make grey, orange and green look so good together.
This plant hails from South Africa and thrives here in South Florida to the point offshoots have to be composted or the garden is overtaken by Aloe. Besides, it is a bit sharp for a groundcover.
The reason for the name is the natives in South Africa used the juice for shampoo and soap. If a leaf is snapped off, a bubbly juice flows out of the plant. I thought about trying it, but after reading up on this Aloe it seems 50% of people are allergic to it. Given my track record with plant encounters, more than likely I fall into that category.
Store-bought Soap for me and the Symphony in greys and orange stay outside.
The Shrub Queen 
Very cool plant.
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Thank you, a friend gave me one, now I have at least 10.
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That is quite cool….but I wouldn’t risk lathering it all over my head either! I rather like the colour combo….
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I agree, but I never would have thought of it.
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A bit like Aloe vera which I keep on the window sill in case of burns. Except Aloe vera doesn’ t flower. Well mine doesn’ t.
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There are some crazy funky Aloes here that bloom nearly year round – this one blooms almost quarterly. Mostly South African plants, I think.
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