Aloiampelos tenuior – Common names: Fence aloe, Slender aloe or ‘Heuningaalwyn’.
Aloiampelos tenuior is a bushy, multi-branched, climbing succulent that occurs naturally in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Kwazulu Natal and Mpumalanga. It was formerly known as Aloe tenuior, but Aloiampelos means ‘climbing plant’, and it was changed to name a group of climbing or rambling Aloes.
If you are looking for a succulent with a long flowering season, free-flowering and showy plant, then this Aloe is the one for you. Aloiampelos tenuior is suited for rockeries, retaining walls, terraces, mixed garden beds and borders and en masse planting. It needs full sun but can tolerate semi-shade although it will flower less.
It is also a good container plant and with a little help can be encouraged to climb up a fence or a trellis. Although in nature it can grow in poor soil, it is best to plant Aloiampelos tenuior in compost enrich, well-drained soil, and to give it a good mulch of compost in springtime. Whilst they can withstand dry conditions, it will perform better with regular watering – especially in the dry spells in summer. It can withstand light frost, and it is also wind-resistant, making it a popular coastal plant.
The Aloiampelos tenuior is a small to medium evergreen, with sprawling shrub stems which are slender and grow upright, but tends to need support from surrounding shrubs to remain upright. The leaves are thin and slightly fleshy without any spots. It is crowned in a lax rosette at the ends of the branches, and the leaf margins have small teeth. Being a fast-growing shrub, this Aloe can become untidy and needs regular pruning to keep tidy and encourage more flowers.
Delicate yellow flowers (red and orange-red) are borne in a slender rosette nearly year-round but mainly from late winter into late summer and are visited by bees for pollen and nectar.
The root and leaves are used in traditional medicine as purgative and tapeworm remedy.
This easy to grow, undemanding and free flowering Aloe will transform any garden in a riot of colour when in full bloom.
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