Opinion on a hardy hybrid.

[AloeZ9a]

I think I found what cross I will start with for a hardy hybrid. I decided to go with A. Maculata x A. divaricata. I like the hardiness of Maculata and it seems to have the ability to take light frosts. On the other hand I like the red serration on the divaricata.It will be a long term project as I just got the stock for both plants. Another cross Iam looking at is A. Swordfish x A Deltoideodonta. Any ideas appreciated.

[Spination]

Maculata should add some measure of cold hardiness, but divaricata is a Malagasy aloe, so not likely to have much cold hardiness having evolved in more tropical climate. Also, two completely different forms (rosette vs tree-like) so I'm sure there will be some that favor one side, or the other, and some that are more blended.
Personally, I don't find maculata very appealing (boring...), but I have divaricata and hybrids of, and they have potential with their color, and teeth. Karen Zimmerman's 'Dragon' and 'Princess Jack' are hybrids involving purely parvula and divaricata genetics.

Regarding 'Swordfish' and 'Deltoideodonta', I'm sure you'll get interesting results with that, but I would not expect any cold-hardiness as an attribute, since that is all Madagascar genetics.

As far as cold hardiness, I am doing stuff with Aloe polyphylla, which makes interesting hybrids, but no information yet as far as how cold hardy the hybrids will be. My polyphyllas though take freezing temps (not super cold though - down to 28 F or so), and in habitat they get snowed on, so...

Kraig Wright once told me he was doing some breeding based on Darwinian survival of the fittest criteria - inasmuch as hybrids that froze were removed from the gene pool, and survivors bred together to create more cold hardy hybrids. Personally, I find that somewhat absurd, because I know... well, at least speaking for myself, my taste in "tabletop" hybrids has nothing to do with cold hardiness - but solely based on looks. I don't mind having to coddle hybrids I love in a greenhouse, but I would not bother with ugly looking plants just because they are "cold-hardy".

If I was really interested or serious about cold-hardy hybrids, I think I'd want to use striatula genetics - but I find very little that is very attractive in that species in terms of what I really appreciate in the hybrids I like - form, color, texture, teeth.

For example... one is never going to come up with something like this ... starting with something like striatula and maculata.

2022 08 22 Wanda TCT a.jpg (249.7 KiB) Viewed 2678 times

[gave_agave]

Hybrids with polyphylla? I'd be interested to see those! Don't know the other very well though.

[AloeZ9a]

Are the new hybrids we are seeing in the box stores sterile example christmas carol and pink blush? and these be used to create new hybrids?

[AloeZ9a]

Aloe striatula would make a good start but it would require crossing thier f1 with other hybrids to get nice plants that can grow outside down to 25f.

[Arjan]

This is an Aloe Cosmo x Aloiampelos striatula hybrid I created a couple of years ago. A small cutting of this plant is planted outside unprotected to test for frost hardiness. I also have two young seedlings of an Aloe ecklonis x Aloe Cosmo cross I made this year.

[edds]

How hardy do you find Cosmo? I read it was a hybrid and not as hardy as aristata?

[Paul S]

I find it about the same, Ed. But, yes, I've not seen a definitive statement but believe it is a x gasteraloe. Or maybe that should be x gasteraristaloe Having said that, the flower does look like plain aristata.

aloecosmo.JPG (253.02 KiB) Viewed 2502 times

[Arjan]

Yes Cosmo is pretty tough and I find it is easier to make hybrids with Cosmo than with regular aristata. When I make hybrids with aristata I often get seeds but they don't germinate.

[edds]

Thanks Paul and Arjan. Seems like it might be another one worth picking up to try and cross with polyphylla!

Will be good to see how well your striatula hybrid does overwinter, please keep us posted!

[AloeZ9a]

Arjan what is your zone?

[AloeZ9a]

What I am struggling with is 28F cold morning hours and wet soil even though I amended planting my hole with 50/50 "cacti mix" to sand my hardy aloes Arborescens and Barbadensis are melting and strange enough my Aloe Swordfish seems to be doing great no melting just the flowers die and I suspect it will bloom fine next season.

[Arjan]

Arjan what is your zone?

I am 8b I think. Most winters are very mild and wet here but some winters we get one or two weeks of subzero temperatures with minus 10 degrees celcius {14F} as max. low.

[AloeZ9a]

Recently I saw a variegated blue elf on ebay.Crossing this plant with divaricata would put a show. Imagine a variegated cold hardy blue elf with red teeth.Now that is progressive in my book.

[plantguy]

Sorry to tell you this, but variegated plants are rarely cold hardy in the succulent plant category.

[Arjan]

I have been testing some Aloe species and some Aloe hybrids I made outside. The Aloe polyphylla's have been planted outside for a couple of years the rest of the list below was planted in 2023.
The winter this year has been extremely wet and in Januari we had a week with frost with a couple of nights minus 5/6 degree Celcius (between 23 and 21 degree Fahrenheit)

Aloe Cosmo x Aloiampelos striatula: Survived minus 5/6 degrees with raincover/Dead without raincover.

Aloiampelos striatula x Aloiampelos striatula : 25 procent survived with minimal damage. The rest is heavily damaged or dead but might grow back from below ground

Aloe Cosmo x Aloiampelos striatula Orange Form : Dead without raincover at minus 5/6 degrees Celcius.

Aloe ecklonis x Aloe Cosmo : Damaged but survived minus 5/6 degrees Celcius with raincover.

Aristaloe aristata x Aristaloe aristata : 4 of 23 plants survived with a lot of damage the rest is dead, without raincover.


Aloe X caesa : Dead with raincover

Aloe thompsoniae: Dead with raincover

Aloe maculata : Dead with raincover

Aloe polyphylla : Survived undamaged with raincover

Aloe Cosmo : Survived undamaged with raincover

[Arjan]

Here are some pictures from the surviving outdoor plants

aloe cosmo x striatula.jpg (414.79 KiB) Viewed 1268 times

aloe cosmo.jpg (346.38 KiB) Viewed 1268 times

aloe ecklonis x cosmo.jpg (387.12 KiB) Viewed 1268 times

[Arjan]

Another hybrid that I made that will be tested outdoors in the future;

Aloe Green Sand x Aloiampelos striatula

Aloe Green Sand x Aloiampelos striatula.jpg (368.2 KiB) Viewed 1226 times

Greetings,
Arjan

[Paul S]

What is the hybrid in the big pot behind, please?

[Arjan]

What is the hybrid in the big pot behind, please?

That is Aloe Cosmo x Aloiampelos striatula but these were made with an orange flowering form of A. striatula. The other A.Cosmo x striatula was made with a yellow flowering one. The leafshape is a bit different between both these hybrids. Unfortunately because the leaves of both these crosses are so tight together they are a bit prone to rot when water gets between the leaves.

[Epiphyte]

Kraig Wright once told me he was doing some breeding based on Darwinian survival of the fittest criteria - inasmuch as hybrids that froze were removed from the gene pool, and survivors bred together to create more cold hardy hybrids. Personally, I find that somewhat absurd, because I know... well, at least speaking for myself, my taste in "tabletop" hybrids has nothing to do with cold hardiness - but solely based on looks. I don't mind having to coddle hybrids I love in a greenhouse, but I would not bother with ugly looking plants just because they are "cold-hardy".

i have 2 small greenhouses packed with plants i coddle, none of which are aloes. but if someone is trying to create more cold hardy hoya hybrids, for example, then sign me up. the flowers are the size of hoya imperialis, but it can grow outside year around? yes, please! why not? what, there's more? it can take full sun, it doesn't require any supplemental water, and it provides copious nectar for hummingbirds, which readily pollinate it???

the top three plants "i" hybridize are epiphytic kalanchoes, echeverias and aloes, all of which are winter bloomers. it's not a coincidence that they are all pollinated by hummingbirds, since they are the real hybridizers. all i do is sow the seeds and let the hummingbirds pick the winners.

hybridization without hummingbirds, it's like missing the forest for the trees.

[Azuleja]

Our winter lows are usually mid 20s. I have several aloes and gasteraloes that I leave out. They may be fine for several winters and then get knocked out by another. I hesitate to bet on them although one or two do stand out.

My most dependable aloe has been A. brevifolia which is attractive and colorful on its own. I haven't had the best luck using it for a hybrid yet. One year I got seed but only 1 germinated. Another year I pollinated and no seed formed. I'll keep trying but it only blooms once a year and doesn't always overlap with my other aloes. Just throwing it out there with the others that have been mentioned.

Aloe brevifolia

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