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Aloe 'Johnson's Hybrid' - A small aloe that makes dense clumps to nearly 2 feet wide with short stems bearing narrow 8- to 10-inch-long leaves that arch upwards and then out towards the tapered tip. The leaves are bright green with white spots and have tiny white teeth along the margins. The flowers, borne in dense racemes at the end of 12-inch-tall stems nearly year round in frost free gardens, are bright orange with green tips and yellow interiors.
Plant in full coastal sun to light shade in a well-drained soil and irrigate occasionally. Hardy to at least 20° F. This plant survived temperatures to 18° F during our Christmas freeze of 1990 with minimal protection. A great plant for a border, groundcover, or rock pocket area in well-drained soil.
We originally got this beauty from the Huntington Botanical Gardens Plant Sale in 1984 as Aloe bellatula 'Johnson's Hybrid' but most speculate it more likely a Aloe thompsoniae hybrid. We also have never been able to verify the origin of its cultivar name, but the thought is that it may have originated from Harry Johnson (1894–1987) of Johnson Cactus Gardens in Paramount, California. It does also very closely resemble a Aloe thompsoniae hybrid called 'Liberty Bells' that was introduced in 1976 by aloe hybridizer John Bleck. We have sold this nice small aloe since 2005.
This information about Aloe 'Johnson's Hybrid' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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