Saturday, June 9, 2012

Nature's lotion - Maree

Prickly greenery, 
Nature's lotion is inside, 
skin soothed on contact
- Unknown

  

An aloe – spiky, soothing, fragrant, bitter – just love this time of the year when they all start flowering... 

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5 comments:

  1. Wow, have never seen an aloe flower. Thank you!! My house plant aloes, never seem to be long lived.... a house plant has to be tough to live with me :)

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    1. Oh really PJ? Oh my, you're missing out on something! Can't understand your house aloes not lasting, they do great indoors as long as they get a bit of sun and lots of bright light. If at first you don't succeed...! Thanks a lot, glad you enjoyed this! There are a couple more of my aloes if you search "aloes" in the tags....

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  2. Like PJ, my aloes have never bloomed and I've had some as houseplants for years! I wonder if it's a different variety??? I often put mine in the ground outside in the summer then bring them inside in the fall. I always learn something from you Maree. thanks!

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    1. Thanks a lot Paula! What always amazes me, is that Aloes here in South Africa are winter flowering (June/July), but in the Northern Hemisphere they flower in summer. Many of our cacti and aloes are from Mexico, so they follow their inherent, inborn pattern of flowering. Do you take them out of the pots to plant in the garden and then back into pots to bring them inside...? Maybe this could also stop them flowering, not sure...

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  3. Maree, I have been taking the plants out of the pots and putting them in the ground for the summer so maybe that's the problem. But I remember my grandmother had one that lived in her kitchen in a pot on the windowsill that never moved and I don't remember it ever blooming either. She used it for burns but we've since been told that isn't the best remedy. She used to do a lot of things that sound almost like voodoo but she swore by them (like putting an axe under her bed to get rid of a headache; and putting stump water on a wart to get rid of it). Lots of old mountain lore but fun to remember when I think of her.

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