Plant in full sun in a very well-drained soil and water infrequently, particularly in summer months as this aloe is prone to rot if overwatered. Has proven hardy to at least 25°F during our January 2007 freeze and likely would take it a bit colder. This unique tough aloe remains decorative in a small juvenile stage with snaking horizontal stems bearing small well-spaced triangular leaves until such time it matures and begins to grow upright with larger leaves.

Sand Aloe comes from coastal sandy plains along the west coast of the Northern Cape of South African within the arid winter-rainfall Namaqualand, ranging from Lamberts Bay in the south north to the Orange River mouth at the Namibian border. It belongs in a group called the Creeping Aloes that include Aloe distans and Aloe comptonii, now combined with Aloe mitriformis, as well as the more shrubby and upright Aloe pearsonii and the pendulous cliff-dwelling Aloe meyeri. The specific epithet comes from the Latin words 'arena' meaning "sand" and 'cola' meaning "inhabiting" in reference to this aloe's natural habit on sand dunes. Other common names include the Afrikaans names Bont-Ot'korrie and Sand-Aalwyn (Sand Aloe). We thank John Goetz of San Simeon Nursery for first giving us this gem of a plant in 2005 and we built up enough stock to begin selling it in 2014. 

The information about Aloe arenicola displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include 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 we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant.